"Due to compulsory education requirements, every Japanese citizen must take 6 years of English language courses....But even after spending half or more of their adolescent years studying the English language, many Japanese struggle to carry out an everyday conversation in English....Japanese students have among the lowest English TOEFL scores in Asia."
Source: Japanese Tourists Share 15 Impressions of Traveling Abroad With Limited English Ability
Sep 24, 2012
by Michelle
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2012/09/24/japanese-tourists-with-limited-english-ability-share-their-impressions-about-traveling-abroad-and-speaking-english/