You will find many insights on English education in Japan. Her thesis is probably more useful than non-systematic discussion on this topic. This is better than a blog written by critics who proclaim to be an English expert without any credential. Getting a PhD is not impossibly difficult but it is more taxing than just writing blogs.
INVESTIGATING CLASSROOM DYNAMICS IN JAPANESE UNIVERSITY EFL CLASSROOMS: YASUYO MATSUMOTO
Investigating classroom dynamics in Japanese university EFL
[PPT]
Investigating Classroom Dynamics in Japanese University EFL Classrooms
A thesis submitted to
The University of Birmingham
For the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHYDepartment of English
The University of Birmingham
September 2008
AbstractSince 1868 to the present day, the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Culture (MEXT) has implemented many reforms to enhance English education in Japanese universities. However, much still remains to be done to improve the situation and one of the biggest hurdles is the fact that there are many unmotivated students in Japanese university EFL classrooms. This thesis explores the reasons for this problem by focusing on inter- and intra-relations between teachers and students in this context. Data were collected through classroom observations, interviews and questionnaires. The study employs both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and uses space and methodological triangulation in order to overcome parochialism. My conclusions are that: 1) Visible and invisible inter-member relations exist between members of university classes and their teachers; 2) The teacher‟s behaviour affects the students‟ behaviour and impacts on their learning; and 3) Cooperative learning has a positive influence on language acquisition; 4) Japanese university students may not perceive how little interaction they have with their teacher; 5) Students exhibit gender differences in terms of the types of problems encountered and the ways in which they deal with them, but some problems are dealt with negatively by female and male students alike; and 6) Teachers appear not to perceive the problems and when they do they often deal with them by using negative strategies.
A Pillow Diary of an Expatriate Scientist 
What is an inter-member relation?
I went into the .ppt file and read the content. It actually contains very little about EFL in Japan. It mostly seems to advocate adopting some UK and European method that my hunch is would only work for more advanced EFL students in E. Asia, the sort we see fewer and fewer of at most universities in Japan, unfortunately. For example, summarizing and paraphrasing skills. I couldn’t really find anything in the .ppt that shows it is actually based on the research data, analysis and findings, and more likely seems to advocate something that would appease a UK-based academic, the sort of whom oversaw and evaluated this project. Mostly irrelevant if you, like me, have to go teach classes in October and the average student will have a 250 on the TOIEC (if you are lucky).
I think the thesis contains more useful information.
>I went into the .ppt file and read the content. It actually contains very little about EFL in Japan. It mostly seems to advocate adopting some UK and European method that my hunch is would only work for more advanced EFL students in E. Asia, the sort we see fewer and fewer of at most universities in Japan, unfortunately.
It depends on the level of students, I guess.
>For example, summarizing and paraphrasing skills. I couldn’t really find anything in the .ppt that shows it is actually based on the research data, analysis and findings, and more likely seems to advocate something that would appease a UK-based academic, the sort of whom oversaw and evaluated this project. Mostly irrelevant if you, like me, have to go teach classes in October and the average student will have a 250 on the TOIEC (if you are lucky).
No medicine can transform idiots to normal functional people no matter what teachers do. I hope this is not the case, but you may think this is the case. I am not a language teacher in any sense and I hate teach Japanese even to my friends. I did not learn English for the sake of English. I improved my English through using it more than 15 years. Improving English will never end but I need to do research as well which will requires English skills but it requires more than English.
Learning a language is difficult. I am learning Dutch and French since normal people really do not speak English fluently in Antwerp. During conversation with many Belgians who do not use English very often, there is a moment of silence which I cannot tell if they do not like me or they cannot speak English or they are just farting. I would rather talk with them in Dutch if I can. (Many Belgian people do not see any reasons why they should speak English in their own turf which they think culturally inferior to their own, really.)
Dutch is really difficult to learn since there are not so many books about it. You can learn English and French from books or multimedia up to a certain level since there are so many materials these days. But Dutch. I cannot find books I can use. In this sense, people who cannot learn English have no excuse. They should blame themselves.
By the way, many Italian outside of main cities do not speak English either based on my experience and warning from some Italians.
>Mostly irrelevant if you, like me, have to go teach classes in October and the average student will have a 250 on the TOIEC (if you are lucky).
No one will get a PhD if they invented a teaching method that brings a TOEIC score of 250 to 450, though that might be the task teachers may have to engage. I would recommend these people not to waste their time in English since they will not go anywhere with their skill at their level. They should do what they can do best in their career.
Pingback: Factors affecting English proficiency | A Pillow Diary of an Expatriate Scientist