Why it's hard for Japanese to learn English.

This is just based on my 10-year-experience as an English teacher in Japan.

Firstly, the main reason for my claim is the education system in Japan. I noticed that my students are naturally not active participators due to their lack of confidence in speaking, many of which are afraid to make mistakes and feel embarrassed. I'm not just talking about kids (kids are actually more willing to try ), but more importantly the adults.

I believe this all start in at their typical English lessons in middle school where the students are not "actively" learning the language.

A great deal of this problems was due to how English is taught in Japanese classrooms. Students spend dull hours memorizing vocabulary, studying grammar patterns, and taking tests that assumingly determines their capabilities and their future. This system gives stress to the students which make many of them "dislike" English and lowers their confidence in communication. English should be fun and practical, and teachers should create lessons and activities that would encourage the students to use English "verbally" and "naturally". More importantly, students should not be criticized for making mistakes, because that's how we truly learn.