That is what society requires us to do. It's very seldom that you can say and act the way you really feel. I'd argue that every culture/society at the moment ha

That is what society requires us to do. It's very seldom that you can say and act the way you really feel. I'd argue that every culture/society at the moment has this and requires this of the members, to various degrees and in different manners. It just sounds like it's a whole lot more pronounced/obvious in Japan? Not that I mind, they're a miracle of a country, based on what they appear to have accomplished in the last half-century or so. Compare that to most other war-torn places or places that have struggled in the past, and maybe you could posit that there is something intrinsically good/effective about their culture. And this particular facet might just be that thing.