The other teams are in midseason form. The major leaguers haven't played for months. Talent goes where the money is. Cuba's a different story, but the best Japanese players are in the US (& Toronto), even if they are locked up in Japan for 5 years.
The worst thing they could have done, though, is copy the dumb World Cup format.
The games have been great so far and the 2 teams in the finals revere baseball in a way that we used to back in the day. Japan reminds me of the KC Royals of the 70's with speed, defense, and pitching. Ichiro is one the greatest 5 tool players in the majors with speed, hitting for average, glove, arm, and power when he needs it. If you ever get the chance to see a game in Japan you will see how into it the fans are compared to the US and they actually will serve you beer in the stands from a really cute girl with a mini-keg on her back! I will be seeing the Hiroshima Carp play the Hanshin Tigers next month and I can't wait!