[acjama]

There is no learning technique or philosophy that would require knowledge of English before one can learn Japanese. The whole idea is absurd.

The connection with the most marketed learning material and it's language is imaginary, just like the the apparent connection with eating ice cream (because it's summer) and girls wearing miniskirts (because it's summer). One is not the causal result of the other.

Besides, it is quite obvious that the most successfull learners of Japanese (i.e. Japanese children) are really NOT using any English learning material. Or which Japanese language were you talking about?