I read this analysis last year about why Japan is so behind with EVs. The number of parts required is less then combustion and Japan's government is concerned about maintaining employment levels

This article talks about the filler jobs and how the economy is stuck in the past.

https://news.yahoo.com/japan-future-stuck-past-220130554.htm...

Annoyingly I can't find the source that went into why they are pushing EVs.

Edit: To be clear that was the hypothesis of the source and they presented evidence that the government that backed it, like stressing job creation and the importance of the automotive industry, but there wasn't a smoking gun.