The Liberal Democratic Party's panel on education has announced it will propose that all students in Japan take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to enter and exit university. The new proposal also includes a requirement for all aspirants to central government positions to take the exam from fiscal 2015.
As part of efforts to improve the low level of English in Japan, the proposal, with a proposed ¥1 trillion budget, is directed toward a crucial issue for Japan's future. However, the proposal offers no genuinely effective measures for improving the teaching and learning of English in Japan.
That need for better English in Japan is urgent. According to data from the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which makes and administers the TOEFL exam, out of 33 Asian countries in 2011, only Cambodia and Laos ranked lower than Japan. Those results are a national shame that holds Japan back from more fully engaging with an increasingly international world.