It's kind of sad to see Japan the way it is going. It's aging rapidly and is in population decline. They have the highest debt to GDP (2X the US). And seems to be on losing their tech luster to China. China is the future now.
Not really. Leasing is paying for the depreciation. It's possible to buy a vehicle and make the payment for as short as a year and have the vehicle be worth less than the amount owed (underwater).