If it's a recent photo, yours is behind. You should see fully elongated candles and needles opening by now. I'll share a photo of my JWP when it gets light.
I'd hit it with a copper fungicide and make sure the soil gets "dry" between waterings. Peter Warren used to joke as they watered all the trees in the nursery, they'd just spray the ground in front of the JWP and call it good.
The river rocks top dressing doesn't help you assess soil moisture. I'd remove them so you can accurately monitor soil.
I also think the pond basket phenomenon is hurting new bonsai growers. It's tough to water correctly when the exterior of the root ball (where all the new roots go) is constantly dry from the perforations, and the interior of the root ball, which is slower to dry, never gets a chance to dry out, causing mushy soil, and a loss of roots. It's two very different climates that can't be treated differently, so the interior stays wet, weak, and without roots. The exterior is where the roots "want" to grow, but it's constantly drying out and creates a hostile environment for the new roots to struggle against. They're also too deep. Good grow pots should be shallower and wider. All this to contend with when the original intent of pond baskets was to fuel strong growth is counter-productive.
