They probably are very clear to each other, it's us foreigners who read the signals wrong.

Doesn't seem like it based on the article.

I didn't realize dating was discussed.

>“Not a Good Match”: Almost One in Three Japanese Graduates Quit First Job Within Three Years. While earlier generations saw lifetime employment as the norm, 30% of recent Japanese graduates quit within three years of starting their first job.

Looks like it used to be lifetime and now that is changing.

You don't quit jobs in Japan (traditionally, at least).

This changed for the better finally in the 90ies

Because of that, there are proxy services that handle quit job for you. (though it's happened within this decade) https://www.taishokudaikou.com/