When the education ministry released its first study of the differences in the English skills of students between prefectures in Japan, the results came as a surprise. But differences in the English skills of students between states in the United States have been common knowledge for decades, with the reasons continuing to provoke a contentious debate.
To assess achievement, Japan used the Eiken English test, which consists of two parts. The first measures vocabulary, reading, listening, and writing. The second measures speaking. Only students who pass the first can progress on to the second.
The study found that Chiba Prefecture was No. 1, with 52.1 percent of third-year junior high school students being proficient. It was followed by Akita Prefecture with 48.6 percent, Tokyo with 47.9 percent, and Ishikawa Prefecture with 47.8 percent. Eight prefectures had less than 30 percent proficient. For third-year high school students, 11 prefectures failed to make the cut.