&gt;One has to wonder what the rationale for all of this is -- what are they afraid of? If they are suddenly left to their own devices, are these people going to starve to death? Has no-one ever been faced with the prospect of having to find a new job?<p>Practically. A little perspective on Japanese culture might help to answer this question.<p>The Japanese value company loyalty, tradition, and conformity. They have more than 21,000 companies that are more than a hundred years old. [0] From a &#x27;pure market&#x27; perspective, most of these companies should have given way to market forces, yes, but Japan is deeply averse to what that entails for individual workers.<p>[0]<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.tofugu.com&#x2F;japan&#x2F;oldest-businesses-in-japan&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.tofugu.com&#x2F;japan&#x2F;oldest-businesses-in-japan&#x2F;</a>