Secondary English education in Japan, despite widespread policy reform, has been identified as a context in which problems with learner motivation are commonplace and persistent. Numerous quantitative studies have highlighted student dissatisfaction with a range of pedagogical factors including a disproportionate focus on rote memorization for exam preparation and a lack of student-centered activities. The aim of this study is to investigate from a qualitative approach the degree to which secondary school students' basic psychological needs (BPNs) of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are being satisfied or frustrated within their junior high and high school English classes. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews with five university students who provided retrospective accounts of their secondary education and was subsequently deductively coded based on BPN satisfaction and frustration. Participants illustrated the key role of teacher-student and student-student interaction in both directly and indirectly facilitating satisfaction of each BPN and highlighted how more balance between exam-focused and communicative lesson content may positively contribute to student engagement and motivation. The findings of this study generally support the notion that promoting greater relatedness through positive group dynamics among both teachers and students can subsequently provide affordances for enhancing autonomy and competence satisfaction.