This article discusses Japanese students' difficulties in reading English, overviews some of the problems of college English textbooks, presents the results of research on the subject, and discusses characteristics of measures of readability. Teaching methods that have proven effective with Japanese students and activities for engaging students in active reading are also discussed. Problems Japanese students experience with reading English include giving equal weight to each word, failure to understand the connections among sentences in a paragraph and difficulty in summarizing passages. To investigate English reading proficiency, the JALT English Reading Project used two parallel tests--JALT English Reading Test: Forms A and C, each with five sections--a dialogue, directions, a newspaper article, an essay and a poem--to measure college students' English reading proficiency. There was a high correlation between reading ability and reading speed and a higher correlation between these two factors among students with the highest scores. To teach the subject effectively, well organized readings with concrete information chosen to suit goals of the class are required. The number of words in a passage should be specified in order to calculate reading speed. Passages require exercises to improve reading comprehension and spoken English. Difficult vocabulary should be accompanied by explanations in easy English. Other activities for motivating students include independent reading, computer-assisted instruction, and using newspapers for extensive reading. (Contains 38 references.) (CK)