Nintendo Japan does not discuss internal business practises and certainly not with a Western media outlet. You're never going to get that interview.

Discussions from the Japanese side with the press are strictly promotional business (as in: this is our spring lineup, please enjoy).

Nintendo honestly might be one of the notoriously most secretive and strict corporate entities on the planet. I actually don't think that's much of a reach.  

There's no reason to think Adelman is lying though, in fact out of all the garbage people read about Nintendo, this is one of the few things that actually has any real substance to it. To operate in his position he would have had to have had interface with the Japanese HQ, in fact given Nintendo's nature there's no way he would be allowed to run things like Wiiware autonomously as a foreigner. 

im not saying he is lying he just doesnt know the whole picture.

It's as complete a picture as we're likely to get, unless some day a journalist goes after Reggie for some post-retirement (or however his career at Nintendo ends) interview and gets him to speak candidly somehow.

Take Yamauchi himself. Do you think the man ever gave out a substantive interview before he passed on? You're not going to get it from the Japanese side, as Soundwave said.

It's as complete a picture as we're likely to get, unless some day a journalist goes after Reggie for some post-retirement (or however his career at Nintendo ends) interview and gets him to speak candidly somehow.

Take Yamauchi himself. Do you think the man ever gave out a substantive interview before he passed on? You're not going to get it from the Japanese side, as Soundwave said.

I don't think the culture will change anytime soon.

If I'm a 30 year veteran at Nintendo who's paid his dues and worked for a long time to get a cushy, high paying position on the board of directors with a large say in things, I'm sure as hell not just stepping aside so some young little snot can take my spot. Why should I?

I don't see the incentive there for that to be done. It doesn't seem like Iwata really has mass authority to do things in the way Yamauchi did either.

For better or (probably) worse Nintendo is stuck with this structure for the next decade or so. Japanese companies do not change their culture that quickly. It's best I think just to enjoy their games, because they're not going to make radical changes in how they operate. Even the younger people on the board likely only get there by playing it safe (as the article states) and being loyal to older higher ups in the company.

If anything I think the company has become more bogged down in internal politics and Japanese tradition under Iwata. Yamauchi didn't give a f**k because he made decisions on a whim and no one dared challenge him. He did things like sign the deal for Donkey Kong Country (a Western game) after hearing a sales pitch for it, there was no debate or lengthy meeting about whether or not to do it, he liked that the guy who pitched had the balls to speak up, and sealed the deal for it right there on the spot. He also chose Silicon Graphics for the N64 basically on his own, again because he liked their presentation (I'm sure giving the next-gen contract to an American company like that did not sit well with a lot of people at Nintendo but no one would dare question Yamauchi). That's not how it works at Nintendo anymore. 

Delicate as always, curl

It's also what allows them to stay true to their pedigree.

Change is good for some things, not for everything. Tradition has value in many things in the world, as people who play traditional irish music.

Same here. I love the fact that I can count in their tradition in terms of great games, their old ways are awesome in some aspects. I can always count on Mario and Zelda and their tried and true way of making games.

But when it comes to other things, I like seeing Nintendo drive change. When they do it's usually a huge relief. But at other times it comes as too little too late. It's really a mixed bag with them when it comes to risk and being at the forefront. At times they totally defy the industry, and at other times they are way behind completely doubtful about practices others bring in which work with the consumers. I think they should be more of the mindset of learning from your enemy.

As a japanese company I'm surprised they don't do more of that.

As has been said, they seem to have adopted a mentality that, since the N64 and Gamecube were outsold by the PS1 and PS2, they shouldn't try to compete directly with their adversaries, but rather seek alternate routes. This becomes a problem when they let said adversaries then chase them out of market after market, leaving them with very loyal core fanbase but little appeal to the larger audience.

Rather than try to maintain footholds in markets like the lucrative 13-30 Western male crowd, they're surrendered these audiences to Sony and MS, and withdrawn to make a last stand in their inner sanctum of Mario and Zelda. They're fighting a defensive war instead of trying to expand their territory.