(The Mainichi Shimbun News Online)

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20241114/p2a/00m/0na/007000c

According to this article, 

(Japan ranked a record low 92nd in the 2024 English proficiency ranking of 116 countries and regions where English is not the native language.)

Japan's ranking is the lowest on record, down from the previous year's 87th place.

The average index for all test takers was 477 points, while Japan's index was 454 points.

The ranking of the country has declined every year since the survey began in 2011.

In an analysis by age, the index for those aged 18 to 25 in Japan was much lower than the overall average, compared to those aged 26 and older.

This is believed to be due to reasons including a decrease in motivation to communicate and learn due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(This is just another excuse for not admitting that the English educational system in Japan isn’t doing enough to get their students to speak efficiently in English in a conversational way.)

A representative from the subsidiary speculated that it may not be that English skills are declining in Japan, but that the country can't keep up with the growth in proficiency in other countries and regions.

(This is another excuse for not admitting that the way that they are teaching English in Japan isn’t working in the way that is should be working.)

Concentrating only on grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, and testing without putting any emphasis on daily communication will not do much at all when it comes talking with others in English in a conversational way.

And for those who tends to say that English isn’t a necessary thing to learn, than why is it that almost everyone outside of Japan is able to speak more English than most Japanese people in Japan.

It’s because they all have come to realize that English is a very important language to learn when it comes to communicating with others for either business and or leisure activities.

If you are really serious about improving your English in a conversational way, feel free to request a time with me.

Thank you.