Both Germany and Japan care about efficiency, but their approaches are shaped by different cultural backgrounds.
Japan: collectivist, values social harmony and consensus. Technology is adopted if it enhances collective well-being. The restrictive aspects come from a desire to maintain social cohesion.
Germany: individualistic, focus on precision engineering and planning. Less emphasis on collective consensus and more on functionality and standards.
Take the Shinkansen and Autobahn as metaphors:
Shinkansen: collective harmony through rigid protocols. There's a place and protocol for everything, and individual deviations aren't encouraged.
Autobahn: individual freedom within a framework of expertise and shared rules. Go as fast as you'd like on good roads, as long as you abide by the rules.