Japanese firms

From a cancelled earnings announcement, to a chairman resigning, to a shambolic shouting match between executives and reporters at a hastily organised press conference - it would be fair to say that Toshiba is facing a sorry state of affairs.
Toshiba has now confirmed that it will ask for another month before it releases its earnings - but it has issued a preliminary report warning of losses worth some US$3.4bn.
Many analysts are concerned that this is a sign of far worse things to come.
"It's really unheard of in Japan to miss your planned earnings announcement," Marc Einstein with Frost and Sullivan told me.
"Timing and being on time is sacred in Japanese business culture - so things must be considerably worse than anticipated."
So what's gone wrong at Toshiba - once a poster child for post-war industrial Japan, now a company that hasn't made a profit since 2013?
Questions
1. What is a Zombie company?
2. How do Japanese firms survive?