Despite being a big innovator in tech Japan still loves fax machines.

Japan hasn't been quite the tech innovator in recent years like they used to be. IIRC, their tech sector has actually been in a pretty big slump for the last 20 years or so. Maybe "slump" isn't the right word, but the growth isn't as rapid as it was in the 80s and 90s.

When I signed up for NTT East to get my internet started ~ 5 or 6 years ago (sonet, my previous provider, can go to hell), I was required to fill out a form and fax it. No email, no taking it somewhere, it had to be faxed. It was a giant pain.

That said, things are getting better (which I define as not requiring faxes). Companies putting all their eggs in one basket is a different problem, but Japan is generally dogshit at IT. My information has been leaked once or twice a week for the last few months because of awful security procedures.