I don't think the Japanese are working less hard, but there is no direction to all their hard work at present. Direction comes from inspiration. Confidence is low at present. The Japanese must believe in themselves and in the present, be proud of their past, and move positively into the future.
The Japanese must also learn from other countries that they just can't think of ways to outsource work from Japan while sitting back and solving problems through video conferences and telephone calls. They must travel to other countries and work with foreign colleagues, and learn about their culture, business and politics so that they can find real talent to help them. That would be the real win-win situation.
In his article, "Dreaming of a new Edo era," Guy Sorman is right to some extent when he says that not many Japanese are going abroad. The key to globalization does not lie only in learning English or getting good TOEIC scores.