JRPGs use the same close sense of perspective that other kinds of RPGs -tabletop, WRPG, and otherwise- do. Almost every game involves the user controlling an onscreen character of some kind, but RPGs of all stripes pay particular attention to putting the gamer into the onscreen character's shoes: in particular, trying to make the player feel what the character feels.
The major twist that JRPGs put on this particular theme is that the character isn't created by the player. This doesn't make it any less a matter of role-playing than, for example, a tabletop RPG using pregenerated characters. Some game designers, such as Sakaguchi and especially Nomura, have done some interesting experiments. with manipulating the player's emotions using this technique; witness Kingdom Hearts for a strong example.
So I turn your question back on you: how does this make it not role-playing?
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