Thanks for the confirmation Molinelaw.
I guess I shouldn't have been so naive to think that Diamond status could be so easy.
And as rcurry01 alluded to, yes this card is just Delta throwing a juicy "looking" bone to potential customers in Japan as they have less to offer in terms of flights. But any big spender who consistently qualifies for Gold or better would be better served with a US based card with their larger MQM bonuses or none at all if they fly enough.
As for me, I'm torn on whether I will renew this. Since I live in Kyushu, Delta offers even fewer options unless flying to the mainland via Honolulu, which is why I usually travel United/ANA when going home. And I usually only travel Delta if traveling domestically in the US, so getting Silver, let alone Gold status the old fashioned way would be difficult. SkyTeam Elite Plus status and lounge access on partner airlines is nice and the priority lines did keep me from missing my flight once, so we'll see...