I think they don't have as much of a bot problem on the JP servers as the NA and EU servers do. But I also think they saw just how bad the problem is with the Ishgard Restoration rankings -- when you've got a character logged in 24/7 gathering nonstop and crafting nonstop (and I'm speaking here as one of the people who DID make it into the ranking), if it can be exploited, it will be.

The solution then, if they can't/won't ban the bots or players en masse, is to consider an alternative where cheating will get you nothing. Imagine that for Ishgard restoration, if you really wanted that title, you had to craft something like 50,000 points worth of material. Not impossible but a definite investment of time and crystals. After you hit 50,000 - you're guaranteed to get it. Full stop. Sure, some bot could come along with their 200,000 points but who cares? You put your time in, you worked at it, you got your reward.

Why Feast is not structured similarly, I will never know.