pokoko on 15 October 2016
In order to improve sales in Japan, Microsoft would have to put an end to Japanese games ending up as "exclusive by default" on Playstation systems. Sony gets so many great games as console exclusives simply because the developers see no reason to put them on Xbox. They're right, of course, but that very fact will preclude Xbox from ever being a serious factor. Buying a few exclusives here and there just won't cut it.
Of course, it has to be mentioned that Sony knows this and is actively buying their own Japanese exclusives, thus making it harder to break the cycle. Even Nintendo got into the act last generation. It also seems many Japanese publishers actively like releasing on one console at a time, though I'm not sure why.
