. . that they couldn't sell their gadgets in the U.S.. They finally deduced that Americans like gadgets that do just one thing and do it so simply you can throw the manual out with the packing materials. They've made progress, but they're not there yet.

Of course this just reinforces the Japanese stereotype of Americans that prevailed during WWII. When an American newspaper published the news that the Japanese Purple Code had been deciphered (and certain people were severely disciplined for that), the Japanese rejected the news as a deception, because "Americans aren't smart enough to do that" and continued using the code, resulting in some distress.