are we about to see them take over another riot games title
I think japan is starting to change, imports especially koreans are decreasing this split. Teams that regularly getting Russians and koreans like fav and Blue bees are going full japanese , some teams opts for 1 korean like Delight and BC swell, while others still held out.
This can happen because players from t2 orgs academy teams are starting to show up. I think if orgs doesn't stop in investing in academy team we can get even lesser imports next year.
What problem exactly?? Koreans created modern esports and have been on top of the world since 1999, when it began. They don't seem to have a problem keeping it.
I know what romance you have with Tier 2, but in esport's 25 year history, Tier 2 has never contributed much to the development of the competitive scene of any game. It's nothing like soccer or any other traditional sport. You don't have to be coached from childhood, nor do you have to wait until you're physically capable. You don't need to organize a group of people to play and practice.
Focusing on the nature of the competition itself, rather than grandiose future plans, has always yielded better results.
"Nature of competition"
Easy for you to say that when your region have fps history across all Games, japan barely has any , apex is the only one that's notable enough and it didn't generate enough momentum to propel the scene.
I know what you're thinking about tier 2 too, if we play it your way trust me japan won't be where they are rn and we are not even close to a good condition yet. Japan needs a boost to catch up to other regions , no one likes to be called shit for 4 years straight. We need development and tier 2 is the only way to go when your tier 1 team have an org called dfm.
The only boost that can propel japan to that heights right now is academy teams. Orgs are willing to spend money and better just spend them on future players rather than on some imports who in the long run will not contribute to the scene. ( doing both works too)
Your region has it very easy when your tier 1 and tier 2 teams are thriving, your scene is developed enough to generate talent regardless of anything. Japan's tier1 are never there and this year went through the worst season yet. Japan needs a good foundation to rely on and that is tier 2 , we can't be praying for another miracle like meiy to come out, we need consistency. A good tier 2 is what will and always are the basis of a good tier 1.
No one is pushing for childhood academy teams, people who support this are crazy.
Tldr; your region has it all and we have just a little. You are talking through the lense of your region, while I'm talking through mine.