Japan as Quality King is NO More

An article on New York Times talk about Japan's recent accidents, in which Toyota has to recall cars and Sony has to recall batteries.

Is Japan as a king in quality No More? Regarding the article-Japanese Fret that Quality is in Decline, my initial views are,

1. Japanese workers, especially younger ones are not demanding in quality control as their parents, and some even anti-traditions.
2. Technology changes so fast and gets so complicated, Japan has to catch up and to learn, too. Some old traditions such as strictly following manuals, are not applicable any more. Japan is known for being slow to change dramatically.
3. Facing fierce competitions from both the U.S. and Korea, China, Japanese companies turn to American style of profit seeking, and bloody cost cutting, quality control also suffers compromise.