Why are there so few non-Japanese interpreters of Japanese?

Some perspective first : all language pairs with Japanese are not made equal. The Japanese-Chinese pair as well as other Asian languages pairing may tell a different story, because the historical perspectives are so different. My perception is heavily biased by Western concerns and various affects that nurture the questioning. The Summer Intensive Interpreter Training program at the University of Hawaii as well as other programs in others countries have been showing (no link) pictures of students in the classroom and other bits of information that suggest an absolute majority, if not all students are Japanese. In the West at least, and despite the steam loss of Japanese studies, the tantamount interest for modern popular Japanese culture and the number of fluent speakers have not translated into any visibility of non-Japanese interpreters. Someone gave me a plain and clear answer to that matter of fact : you must be so much dedicated (that only Japanese nationals can do it).

It makes sense I must reckon. If you take the example of English in compulsory schooling, the methods and results are appallingly bad in Japan and do not make for a hotbed of language specialists breeding. One could argue that the very fact that language teaching at school level is so inefficient that it generates among some learners tremendous greed to catch up and beyond in later years. The gender factor is also essential, high level language acquisition for females being a way to exit to some extend the cramped macho environment/

The English language massive industry keeps the burning coal red on the shame of not being able to speak English with incentives ever renewed to start again. The obsessiveness - to some extend - and the pavlovian reaction at ones incompetence at foreign languages, all those shaming factors are good for language business. They do fuel among some individuals the crave to excel, and excel some do indeed.

Then, does it mean that on the Western side, no such factors are strong enough to nurture a hotbed for breeding local specialists? I believe the answer is yes, the conditions are a factor of sterilization. Of course the cross-cultural communication mantra would frown at the very questioning of why things are the way they are. I don't think holders of cross-cultural communication are qualified to tell anything about it though.