> Younger Japanese are much less willing to work with the dedication their parents and grandparents had.

I have a few "salary man" friends in Japan, and they work really really hard. Like "hard to imagine anyone working harder".

However, if my experience working in (non-tech) companies in Tokyo has taught me anything, it's that people have to work so hard because of some startling inefficiencies (and some serious peer pressure) and a great resistance to integrating technology into the work flow (e.g. this is the first year I received internet in the office).

This sounds hard to believe as Japan has produced some amazing technological innovation, but there is a really strange mindset in the higher ups concerning digital conveniences, and they appear to be influencing protocol. For example, ATMs have working hours, and some are not available on weekends at all, and others have higher fees the later in the evening it is (and this is a cash dominate society).