Work habits

This may surprise some people:

To Toyota's top executives, American managers can seem overly concerned about job descriptions and reporting lines. Yet they are often more disciplined than Japanese executives about following an agreed upon plan, says Mr. Kinoshita, the Toyota human-resources executive, and they work with an intensity that is impressive. "You get on an airplane and the American will get right to work," he says. "We Japanese will watch the movie and drink."

The article is interesting, discussing the influence of American workers on Japanese automotive firms, including design. The Acura TL, for example, is U.S.-designed.

This is why I don't understand why people get up in arms about the success of Japanese auto firms. How Japanese are these firms anyhow?