Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aims to globalize Japan's workforce and says that Japan must become more competitive in the English language. This has touched off a debate among native English teachers, Japanese who teach English, Japanese speakers who don't speak English, and English sheepdogs owned by both Japanese and English speakers.
On one hand, you have people who ask why Japanese people should be required to study English at all since English is not used in Japan, the country where most students will spend the rest of their lives working for a Japanese company. On the other hand, people say that Japan needs to learn English to keep up with the rest of the world. The few strays not in either camp say, "Woof!"
Whereas internationalization was the big thing a decade or so ago, and droves of students were studying overseas to gain a broader understanding of language and the world, nowadays Japanese people are turning inward, seeking domestic solutions. They're beginning to think, "Why should I go abroad, risk getting shot or car-jacked by someone in America, when I can just stay and study here in Japan?"