This feels like the hallmarks of a system that over values 'hard work' but doesn't value entrepreneurship or risk taking.
Corporate rent seeking is proper up by a strong welfare state.
"Herein lies the unique twist that Piketty’s theory takes on in Japan: the disparity is not so much between the super-rich and everyone else, but between large corporations, which can retain earnings and accumulate capital, and the individuals who are being squeezed in the process."