Japan has some of the most restrictive copyright exceptions among major developed countries. Unlike the U.S., it lacks a broad fair use doctrine, which leaves parody and transformative works with far less legal protection. The TeamFourStar situation is a good example of how that can discourage even highly transformative fan creations. Whether that’s motivated by culture, business, or both, Japanese companies tend to be far more protective of their intellectual property than their Western counterparts, sometimes to a degree that feels excessive from an American perspective.