Fatalities have been reduced, but the "habits" described have been passed down to the latest generation of drivers, riders and cyclists. One big factor in reducing road fatalities has been improved car design. The advice about what to be aware of on Japanese roads is still pretty good advice - even 20 years later.
If I would add anything to the article, it would probably be a comment about elderly drivers who are increasingly common. Perhaps the ojiisan with bad eyesight and slow reaction times is now a more common hazard than the boy racer who thinks he knows more about mountain driving than he really does.

No... it's an article FOR motorocyclists. It's about Japanese driving behavior.
I would hazard a guess that you've never ridden a motorcycle.

Yes... It's hard to see bikes. That's why car drivers in some countries have observation habits drilled into them when they're learning. For example, in the UK, instructors admonish their charges to follow the "mirrors, indicate, manoeuvre" process for any change of direction or speed. And even when not planning a manoeuvre, instructors expect the learner driver to be aware of what's around in case they want to slam on the brakes or swerve. (Also, at junctions, British drivers are reminded to "Think once, think twice, think bike."). Sure, these are just catch phrases, but it's amazing how the habits stick when they're drilled in from the start.

A lot of instruction for learner drivers in Japan seems to focus on rote memorization of rules and the principle that "safety driver = slow driver". Perhaps as a reaction to this, police instructors at retraining sessions tell the assembled crowd of license renewers to pay more attention to junctions, bikes and children that emerge from blind spots etc. I've also heard one instructor lecture people about "appropriate speed" in contrast to the over-simplistic "slow = safe" view. But by the time drivers come for their "refresher" lesson, their driving habits are pretty well ingrained - and most of them seem to do their best to ignore the instructor for the period they're required to sit in the classroom.

In Japan, even some professional drivers (especially taxi drivers) do the "mirrors, indicate, manoeuvre" gig in the opposite order -- They start to change lanes, then turn on the indicator, and look up into the rear-view mirror and see a car or bike that forces them to abort the move. I notice that Japanese drivers rarely use the side-mirror on the passenger side ... In urban traffic, that's the "bike alert" mirror and failure to use it is careless driving.

Yeah. If you're in the space between the taxi and his fare, it's pretty surprising. You kind of expect a professional driver to have some awareness of the road around him. I've known people to say "Ooooh. That was a surprise."

Yes. He qualifies the fact that Japan has a low fatality rate by explaining that this is not thanks to advanced driving skills and better driving habits. Rather, it is because speed limits are so much lower in Japan than they are in countries with similar road safety records.

I think that Japan could increase speed limits and achieve a significant leap in road safety by improving initial driver training, improving road layouts (especially with regard to visibility at junctions and complexity of some junctions) and reducing signage clutter.