The paper "The influence of translation on reading amount, proficiency, and speed in extensive reading" (Sakurai, 2015) outlined the first six years of the official English education system and policy in Japan. It then discussed the efficacy of extensive reading (ER) followed by a distinction between reading and translation. Previous research indicated that translation inhibited the number of words to be read in ER programs from increasing (Sakurai, 2013). Therefore, this study explored the influence of translation in reading comprehension and reading rate which were considered to be interrelated with the reading amount. The analyses of data retrieved from university students in Japan suggested that refraining from translating English into Japanese during ER would lead to better comprehension of stories and a faster rate of reading as well as an increase in the number of words learners read in ER programs. Here Nobuko Sakurai provides his response to critiques of the 2015 article.