They tried, they started kicking the salarymen out of the buildings. But they just walked around for hours or got shitfaced with the lads to avoid going home to face the wife lol. Nip men and women fucking despice each other.
There is a strong work-environment culture that is pervasive outside the formal work-related regulations that dominate the tone of what is acceptable. So even as the policies set to ease conditions for people with long work hours and even given some yearly paid free days are implemented to deal with issues emphasized on this thread, workers are still expected by companies to overwork. This especially puts pressure on new employees that are expected to be the last ones to leave the office to show dedication or signal ambition or commitment. In Japan, people fresh out of university are expected to pick a company and then careerwise rise higher in ranks without changing jobs often. But as mentioned in the video, ~40% of the workforce only have irregular jobs.
Among the G7 and OECD nations, Japan is at the bottom in terms of productivity, where an hour worked produces less value. One has to mention how the conformist nature and collective mindset of the Japanese, for example, how they are socialized to not be a burden on others, strong aversion to not stick out, etc., play in this.
It's not all negative, of course. There are a lot of positive things to say about the nation, and I do admire Japan a lot. Taking a trip wouldn't be so bad.