Interpreter training in Japan is markedly distinct in where and for whom the training is conducted. While interpreting programs in a number of Western and Asian countries are mainly offered for carefully selected students in higher education, for-profit schools operated by interpreting agencies, which may not be as selective in admitting students, are the main providers of interpreter training in Japan. This paper explores historical, social and cultural factors that may have shaped these different institutional foundations for interpreter training in Japan and other parts of the world, with the aim of providing information and analysis that can be used for addressing current issues in interpreter education in Japan. The factors discussed include: the AIIC “school policy”, multilingualism in international organizations and the EU, the dominance of agencies in the Japanese interpreting market, and the academic backgrounds and career orientations of pioneer interpreters in different countries.