While doing research on the types of lighting that Japan uses, I found out that they use a number of lamps that are virtually never used outside of that country. For example, they use 580mm 20w T10 fluorescent tubes  along with 18w energy saver T8 tubes that are meant to replace the 580mm 20w T10 fluorescent tubes; they also use 630mm 30w T10 fluorescent tubes; 830mm 32w T10 fluorescent tubes; 380mm 18w T5 fluorescent tubes designed for 100v preheat choke ballasts; 420mm 27w T5 fluorescent tubes designed for 100v preheat choke ballasts. In addition, they also used some non-integrated CFL lamps with bullet shaped envelopes and globe shaped envelopes. It is also good to know that they also used mercury vapor lamps rated for 40w, 200w, and 300w operation respectively as well as high pressure sodium lamps and metal halide lamps designed to retrofit the aforementioned mercury vapor lamps. Lastly, they also use fluorescent starters that use an E17 intermediate base. Why is Japan’s lighting so unique and different from lighting used in the rest of the world?

I think there are three reasons.  Firstly because that country avoided the globalisation and standardisation that affected other countries much longer.  Secondly because it is a very rich country, combined with strong loyalty of consumers to buy locally made products in the belief they were better (possibly true), thereby supporting local manufacturers. And thirdly because of its uniquely low mains voltage that shifted the optimum ratings for some lamp-ballast combinations away from what worked best in other countries.

Japan has really wide variety on Japan-only standarts and other "weird things" in other fields too and while this probably is partially related to historical and cultural reasons I think the fact that japan has big population and quite high population density gives good potential to come up succesfull business ideas and technological innovation even if they are only meant to be produced only for domestic market.