I can't be alone in thinking this is really cool, clever, sophisticated, ... and utterly, stupidly, pointless?
Can you explain your thinking more? I don't understand how this argument differs from: Why ever build a professional studio?
This technology is nice because you build the physical studio once (green screens, tracking markers, integration) and then it is only the cost of developing/building environments in Unreal Engine and you have an instant event specific studio for minimal cost.
No flying an entire crew and support staff around the world, no physically building/tearing down multiple physical sets for different productions.
As others have pointed out though, they do this kind of thing for UK elections and things too. And simpler green screening just to replace a London outlook with a different one.
I don't know, even so I think I just don't need to see Tokyo in the background, real or not? Just build a nice looking studio (with some real 'nice joinery', heh) and focus on the content? Even if it doesn't have windows, I doubt I'm going to be claustrophobic watching it, and obviously homogeneous green isn't any better in that regard for them or interviewees than some nice wallpaper or wood panelling or whatever.
I love those political broadcasts "Here I am outside a building where something is happening (but luckily someone in the studio is telling me what is actually going on)." And it's always raining.
A real Tokyo-based studio would have been better (even if not as fancy as this imaginary one) but obviously not possible this year.
Watch us walk slowly along the safe area.
Not sure what would have been better though.