Why is the term “western” so often used whenever Japan be mentioned to mean either “Anglo-Saxon culture” or even more specifically “U.S.A. culture”? I do not b

Why is the term “western” so often used whenever Japan be mentioned to mean either “Anglo-Saxon culture” or even more specifically “U.S.A. culture”? I do not believe that many of these “western taboos”, invariably dealing with sexual themes, would be so taboo in most of continental Europe. — it is mostly the Anglo-Saxon who is known for his staunch moral control on sexuality, swearwords, and nudity.