Even though we are in Asia, which is the growing engine for the whole world economy, Japan is not a part of it.

After 6 years of English instruction, countless hours at juku and eikaiwas, most Japanese can barely utter a passable "Hello" let alone have the guts to want to work overseas.

Wasn't their a report a couple of weeks ago that said something like fewer than 20% of non-managerial employees wanted to work overseas?

I remember when I was at uni in California, every August a huge number of Japanese high school students would descend upon the campus to learn English and to experience America. When I was visiting a former English prof last xmas, he told me the students were now from China and South Korea. Maybe 1 or 2 from Japan. Go figure?

Japanese students need to have a broader view of life

Yes, beyond cellphones, manga, and anime characters that seem to be a national obsession with most 20-somethings.

shouldn’t limit themselves to the domestic market when hunting for jobs

Good luck with that idea. First an appreciation of foreign culture, beyond food, has to be cultivated. Then the language ability, and finally, the wherewithal to actually apply themselves.