1. Get Rid Of The Old Men
The single biggest problem with Japanese media, in general, is the fact that the old men running things simply aren't suited for handling international business. While there are a few outliers like Shigeru Miyamoto, most of the old guys at the top don't get why western people like their products and make no efforts to understand why (or western culture in general), which is why Japanese media is always focused on Japan and receives token efforts at export. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem you'd just setup an American/European branch that figures out what fans like and why before feeding it to the guys at the top. But the Japanese culture is so hierarchical that doing obvious things, like correcting mistaken assumptions, gets people labeled as troublemakers and total obedience to the boss is expected, even when that person is making an obvious mistake. Because Japanese executives can spend decades in their jobs as long as they don't screw up monumentally, Japan has lost the ability to quickly react to the ever-changing markets of the global economy. Out of all the Japanese gaming companies around today, Sony seems like the only one with a fairly capable group of executives, and even then, they're fumbling for direction with the Vita. What Japan needs is fresh blood that can work a bit more smoothly with the west and handle the rocky road of technological changes that has been hammering Japanese gaming faster and better than their predecessors. Unfortunately, that's the one thing most unlikely to change anytime soon.
Do you think Japanese gaming can rebound this generation? Or are they stuck in their rut for the foreseeable future? Let me know in the comments below.