I'm 35 and have been working in Tokyo for about 10 years now. It's funny how fast those 10 years have gone by.<p>I was this super energetic do-everything-that-was-asked-of-me kind of guy in the beginning.<p>After a few inhumane projects of working 6 days/week, 9am-11pm I began to question the meaning of it all and found little.<p>Now I'm careful not to volunteer myself too much for fear of being seen as the point-man for every little problem that pokes up so I can enjoy a work-life balance. Now I have a family and live just outside Tokyo where it's quiet and peaceful.<p>Japan really does need to wake up and realize that it's throwing away its skilled people (not just in IT) but it'll take a massive exodus for the question to ever be raised unfortunately.
I slightly understand the push to move experienced coders into management. I have enjoyed coding but the biggest frustration has been the poor direction of management. Companies often don't know how and why technology should be used. They need smart people that know technology to lead (not just code).