A recently published survey by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has demonstrated a steady improvement in English proficiency for both students and teachers in Japan.

The results of the 2023 "Survey on the Status of English Education Implementation" showed that 50% of middle school students and 50.6% of high school students have obtained the English language competency equivalent to a CEFR A1 level or above and CEFR A2 level or above respectively. This compares favourably to the 49.2% and 48.7% reached the previous year and marks the first time that both middle school and high school students of Japan have met or exceeded the 50% benchmark.

However, the percentage of those who obtained the equivalent to a CEFR B1 level proficiency in English or higher was 19.8%, down 1.4% from the previous year. There are also still large regional gaps in students’ English proficiency at both middle and high school levels across different prefectures and designated cities, which MEXT aims to address. The government’s target, as outlined in the “Fourth Education Promotion Basic Plan'' from 2023 to 2027, is to have at least 60% of middle and high school students achieve CEFR A1 level or higher by the end of junior high school and CEFR A2 level or higher by the end of high school.

The English proficiency of English teachers is also improving. The percentage of English teachers who have obtained the equivalent of CEFR B2 level is 44.8% in middle schools and 80.7% in high schools. All of these figures are on the rise, and are the highest on record since the survey began. On the other hand, the number of high school English teachers who have obtained the CEFR C1 level or higher was 21.8%, a decrease of 0.7% from the previous year.

The survey has been conducted every year since 2013 (cancelled in 2020) to evaluate the current status of specific measures aimed at enriching and improving English education. It targets boards of education in each prefecture and city, and all public elementary (18,560 schools), middle (9,165 schools) and high schools (3,256 schools).

https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/kokusai/gaikokugo/1415043_00004.htm
https://reseed.resemom.jp/article/2024/05/10/8721.html

What this mean to the UK sector?

This is welcome news for not only Japan but also for the UK sector. English language proficiency has been one of the major hurdles for Japanese students looking to study abroad, with many Japanese students with offers from foreign higher education institutions , giving up on their offers because of the requirement to have to take a pre-sessional English course. Many other students have also chosen to enrol in a second or third choice overseas university due to the higher English requirement. Higher English language attainment and proficiency will help Japanese students gain confidence and become more interested in studying abroad, not least to the UK.

The British Council has significantly contributed to supporting the Japanese government in improving the English competency of Japanese youth through teacher training, English textbook and exam reform, and teacher dispatchment with the recently commissioned English Speaking Achievement Test for Junior High School Students (ESAT-J) by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, we aim to further assist in reforming Japan’s English education.

https://www.kyoiku.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/school/content/esat-j.html