I tend to think the problem is related to whomever is assigning CEO-style positions to short-term thinkers. The sort of leaders that will bend to the will of shareholders, even if it disables or destroys an organisation in the long-term.
The problem is a mix of 'tradition über alles' and a culture that virtually reinforces top-down management.
In Japan, you simply Do Not Question the people above you, and those people Do Not Question the culture that's been handed down to them from whoever ran the company last.
