For a place synonymous with deflation, Japan sure can be intolerant to savvy responses to it.

Take Tokyo's not-so-stealthy effort to keep Uber, Airbnb and other sharing economy kingpins at bay. The innovative boom remaking America Inc. has run into a thicket of regulatory, legal and cultural restrictions in the third biggest economy. Ride sharing, for example, barely exists and bureaucratic barriers make home sharing more hassle than a profit opportunity.

True, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is cracking the door open so Japan won't miss out on the hottest developments in commerce — and to maximize its tourism boom. But Japan Inc.'s reluctance to embrace the new tells a bigger story about deflation's positive influence.