Yes. Japan had changed a lot in past 10-15 years, but traditionally the culture had been anti-fun, anti-profit, and more recently anti-culturalist. UX engineering looks a borderline indecent activity for people with this set of cultural values. It's seen like how Mycogenian nuns look at beauty salons.

"They sell tools not toys" - no offense, I hate deceptive UX engineering and e14n as the next guy - and vibration motors in Dyson vacuums - but that kinds of denials existed, and IMO had hamstrung Japanese tech products for too long.