Yeah, right...

[cstaylor]

... this doesn't make any sense:

Traditional Japanese virtues of hard work, industriousness and seriousness have all been denied

That's because you aren't rewarded for showing them in Japan... why work hard when someone "more senior" gets the better deals?

[kamome]

The continued and extensive power and influence of institutions in Japan account for something else that I find especially striking. Among the young Japanese I meet, who are primarily from establishment institutions -- industry, government, international government organizations, academia and the media -- the Japanese tend almost without exception to be much less experienced and worldly than their peers in other countries.

Translation: many Japanese are stunted emotionally and intellectually by the institutions that govern their lives.