it isn't 10 years behind. the whole idea of startups is kinda at odds with japanese culture, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
Can you elaborate on how it's a good, or neutral, thing? Startups may be imperfect creatures, but I perceive them to have a net-positive influence on the economy (and, to be clear, I don't work for one). How is their absence from the Japanese economy a good thing?
The 10 year comment was from a discussion I had with a Japanese investor/entrepreneur while in Tokyo last fall. He built his other businesses in the US, and related the current state of Japan's startup scene (funding, opportunities, etc) as being similar to that of the US about 10 years ago.