Say what you will, this policy certainly opens up lots of interesting sponsorship opportunities for Canon equipment. That 5D Mk II does have very nice high-definition video.
I'm sure reducing overtime is a consideration during a recession, but Japan really does have a problem with low birthrates. When almost a quarter of your population is 65 or older, it's either make babies or make robots. And the assembly process for babies already has most of the bugs worked out.