Actually, most younger (40 and under) Japanese do speak English.....

English has been taught in Japanese public schools for many years,
probably since shortly after WW II.

Way back in the '60s and '70s, a bunch of Japanese teachers of English
in the schools came to Penn State every summer (a different bunch
every summer) for a crash course in English. They badly needed it.

Each teacher was "adopted" by a local family; we adopted one for about
seven years. It was to enable them to learn more about America, and
practice their English outside the classroom. We enjoyed it, and
learned a lot about Japan. But even when they left, after about two
months, their English was pretty damn bad.

We still get Christmas cards from most of them, and their English is
STILL bad.

That may help explain why their students are reluctant to speak
English to strangers until they've absorbed a few beers.

vince
Who has often wondered if our public-school foreign-language teachers
are equally bad.