In a push to promote and improve English Education, the Japanese government has instigated numerous policy reforms from elementary school through senior high school. The most ambitious plans relate to elementary school instruction. From 2020, fifth and sixth grade students will study English as a mandatory subject with double the number of classroom hours, and third and fourth grade students will be required to study English as a foreign language activity. There is concern, however, that elementary school teachers charged with teaching English may lack confidence in English communication, particularly in the teacher talk used to engage students. To better understand these constraints, this paper examines the importance of teacher talk, reports on observations in six Japanese elementary school classrooms, and provides direction in choosing the language of communication in different situations. Analysis of the transcribed data reveals that while many teachers may be proficient at English greetings and display questions, there are ample opportunities to expand English teacher talk by increasing the amount of general classroom instruction issued in English