Recent experience required for IFR

[firstmrj]

Under the Japanese regulation, the required minimum recent flight experience for IFR is 6 hours of instrument flight experience (including simulator flight) over the 180 days preceding the date of flight maneuvers.
In these awful days, because of the lack of flights this binding is becoming a concern for us.
Long time ago at the ground school I was taught these regulations were adapted from FAA. However I found FAA no longer require 6 hours, instead it requires experiences of 6 instrument approaches, holding and etc nowadays.
Could anyone please teach me the history and/or background of change of this requirement?
I am also curious about other countries' equivalent requirements.

Thanks in advance,