Jumping in and having spent time in all those countries (I'm in China right now), I think Japan does have some uniqueness as a country that, until the Allied oc

Jumping in and having spent time in all those countries (I'm in China right now), I think Japan does have some uniqueness as a country that, until the Allied occupation which didn't last long, never was under a Western form of government or ideology (colonialism, communism, or Christianity / Islam). Thus they retain some traditional forms that tend to get destroyed when a country is colonized or goes under a Western ideology. Beyond that, I don't disagree with you but worth keeping in mind.