All students in Japan must take English language, and yet, the Japanese Ministry of Education has found that these students lack competency in the subject upon graduation from high school. Therefore, the Ministry has implemented a number of reforms to English education in an effort to improve the communication skills of students and to encourage communication-oriented English classes. However, a look into Japanese history reveals that the older method of grammar-translation remains in place because of the importance of school entrance exams, which emphasize memorization more than concept comprehension. Exams have shaped the current culture and curriculum and have made it difficult for teachers to take the Ministry’s reforms into full consideration. In my project, I analyze the educators’ critiques of the Ministry’s reforms and offer some tentative solutions to English language learning that would not completely rid society of the culturally significant exam system. I studied abroad in Japan for five months, during which time I examined the current conditions of English education classrooms by interviewing both English teachers and Japanese students. I will be focusing on university students who have already completed the mandatory English education curriculum and who have also gone through the entrance exam process. By analyzing their first-hand accounts as well as educational research articles, I hope to understand the complex issues from the perspective of both educators and students. Ultimately, my goal is to offer suggestions for implementing the Ministry’s reforms that fit within the current exam-focused system, thereby increasing English communication skills.