Well, not really. Getting an app on a docomo phone for example was extremely easy, as in create the app and put it online. You had to be a verifiable company to touch the encrypted bits (user ID, encrypted NFC etc) or to make payments (which are then carrier handled payments), but that about all. The other carriers needed paperwork even for free apps, but not so much more.

About the software, it was barebone compared to iPhone apps, but you could run an app for three days without crashing or dropping a single call. The scrutinity towards quality was equivalent to home appliances' level. The iPhone brought the expectations of reliability close to Windows PCs.