I think the lack of significant marketing has been a big factor along with everything else mentioned. Obviously, they do have JP fans, but if you look at their chats during live streams, there are still much more English speaking viewers than JP viewers, at least from what I've seen with Nasa and the few times I've been able to catch Michi and Iori live. Many of those viewers are fans of Phase as a whole, but many people aren't willing to watch a livestream of a JP member if they don't understand Japanese themselves, even if they're fans of Phase.
I've honestly been wanting something like this for a while now because I think it's a better chance for Phase to get a foot into the JP market and allow the current three JPs to grow. With an actual JP branch, there's more there for them to market with and hopefully attract a new audience. While Nasa, Michi, and Iori will always be a part of Origin, I definitely imagine they'll be marketed with this new gen when things start moving. I definitely hope this goes well for the sake of the new talents, but for the sake of the three original JPs because I really like them (especially Nasa), and I'd love to see them grow.