Many learners of English in Japan tend to believe that English is the language of native speakers of English. Learners who have this belief may hesitate to use English as they know that they have not learned native-like English yet. This situation can have a negative effect on the learners’ learning process because they may be discouraged from using English. The information about World Englishes could change learners’ beliefs and attitudes towards learning English. The study was carried out within a critical approach using qualitative methods. Data were collected by interviews with two groups of participants. The first group is three professors of English at university in Japan. The second group is four learners of English who study in the UK. The research examines whether there is a gap between these professors’ beliefs and learners’ beliefs about native-like English and World Englishes. The impact of their beliefs on learning English is explored since learners’ beliefs are considered as one of the significant factors influencing the process of second language learning.