Current Events > Why is Japan the most revered, or the most favorable non-Western country?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Y'all ever wonder why so many Japanophiles exist today? Kinda fascinating if you look at history. First you had the Japanese trying to modernize, and become a power by reading Britain and America's imperialist rulebook guide. Then they became too ambitious and formed a coalition with Germany, and ended up humiliating their pride by being humbled to oblivion. Then they reformed by protective tariffs, and McArthur effectively ruled Japan and implemented social, economic and political reforms, and then we got anime.

But what really is it that's made Japan, its culture and peoples; it's imports appeal to Westerners more than China, India, Egypt, Iran, and various countries of Africa?

Is it the love for anime? Is it because they're the most well developed non-Western country? That their cultures mimic and synergize with Western ones so well? Because their peoples bend their knee to the West, instead of fight it (the Middle East)? That they're peaceable people despite their ancient history of a romanticized military class? Could it be their history of a glorified history? Why do we find their TV, film, food more appealing than the rest? Is it increasing Westernization? Or is it what Edward Said called "Orientalism?" and the Western white male's love for Japanese women?


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It's the anime.

Anime and games

Metro2 posted...

It's the anime.

But that can't possible the only reason right?

Should we be worried about Japanese cultural imperialism at this point?
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beautiful women
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Its the eyes
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I think it's the fact that Japanese people run Japanese society for Japanese people, and they don't give a flying fuck if you don't like it. They're a strong culture. Look at America, where we bend over backwards for illegal aliens. If you go to Japan and bitch about the way things work, you're most likely deported.
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Definitely because they're the most westernized and reaches out the most towards the west. Most westerners don't know shit about the other countries and they prefer it that way.

Vita_Aeterna posted...

Because their peoples bend their knee to the West, instead of fight it (the Middle East)?

You're really gonna say this about the people who got a nuke dropped on one of their cities and still refused to surrender?
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they have enjoyable pop culture that managed to make a splash in a lot of foreign countries

The more I learn about japan the more I hate it. Its beautiful and all that shit but goddamn their conservatives need to gtfo

Historically they are so so brutal towards everyone else
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CrimsonRage posted...

that worships them instead of criticises them.

this doesn't happen. of course you show your racism towards Asians.

again
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weeb
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Vita_Aeterna posted...

Metro2 posted...

It's the anime.

But that can't possible the only reason right?

There are a lot of countries in the world to admire. Iceland. Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland.

But when was the last time you heard of a Swiss fanboy? A Finn-eaboo?

ArmieBuff posted...

r4X0r posted...

I think it's the fact that Japanese people run Japanese society for Japanese people, and they don't give a flying fuck if you don't like it. They're a strong culture. Look at America, where we bend over backwards for illegal aliens. If you go to Japan and bitch about the way things work, you're most likely deported.

It's the other way around. They're the country most influenced by western values while the others actively reject it.

They are the most influenced because they are the most controlled. Japan has not been controlled by the Japanese people since 1945.
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josifrees posted...

The more I learn about japan the more I hate it. Its beautiful and all that shit but goddamn their conservatives need to gtfo

Historically they are so so brutal towards everyone else

You can tell with responses like this that most westerners compare Japan with their own and pretend like the other countries don't even exist or aren't civilized enough to be mentioned. Tell me how the "conservatives" in countries like Iran, China, and Uganda are like.

foreveraIone posted...

beautiful women

Yeah, people have made mixed Japanese - White into a fetish. Weird.
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I'm not all that into anime and I don't play games nearly as much as I used to, but I have a penchant for Japanese cinema and the last novel I read was from Japan. They just produce quality art, I guess.

Vita_Aeterna posted...

foreveraIone posted...

beautiful women

Yeah, people have made mixed Japanese - White into a fetish. Weird.

both Japanese and mixed are great.
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Metro2 posted...

Vita_Aeterna posted...

Metro2 posted...

It's the anime.

But that can't possible the only reason right?

There are a lot of countries in the world to admire. Iceland. Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland.

But when was the last time you heard of a Swiss fanboy? A Finn-eaboo?

That's what I'm getting at. Japanese culture, their peoples and society are basically fetishized-- resulting in an embarrassing group of peoples called "weaboos", but we don't see this happening with any other ethnicity, or culture. It's not just anime geeks, nerds and Japanese film enthusiasts, it's regular people who positively attribute Japanese food, architecture, their people, history etc.

Is it just good marketing on the Japanese part? The fact that they've made their country, their people, culture society digestible to foreign, particularly Western peoples because obviously Japan's been increasingly Westernized since Commodore Perry opened "close country"? That's the best idea I have right now.
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Flintgrandad posted...

josifrees posted...

The more I learn about japan the more I hate it. Its beautiful and all that shit but goddamn their conservatives need to gtfo

Historically they are so so brutal towards everyone else

You can tell with responses like this that most westerners compare Japan with their own and pretend like the other countries don't even exist or aren't civilized enough to be mentioned. Tell me how the "conservatives" in countries like Iran, China, and Uganda are like.

You dont know shit about me bruh so stfu. This topic is about Japan. If you wanna start a topic about those other countries I will be more than willing to tell those conservatives to get the fuck out as well.

As far as I can tell though those countries didnt have the power to commit genocides and complete political assassinations on literally every neighboring country they interacted with within the past 150 years and on top of that have the audacity to deny every single one
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Japan was cucked by the West, they thought they were evil backstabbed which is why they started the isolationist policy for centuries. Centuries past and with a new generation, the suspicion dissolved and allowed the West entrance into their country. The west destroyed their samurai culture by installing a puppet regime that we know as Imperial Japan. The West also ironically nuked them because the powers that be a great at playing the Hegelian dialectic
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CrimsonRage posted...

ArmieBuff posted...

Metro2 posted...

Vita_Aeterna posted...

Metro2 posted...

It's the anime.

But that can't possible the only reason right?

There are a lot of countries in the world to admire. Iceland. Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland.

But when was the last time you heard of a Swiss fanboy? A Finn-eaboo?

Those are western countries

Finland wasn't always seen as a western country. in fact, Finns were once classified as Mongol descendants.

Finns, as far as I can say, linguistically speak a non-Indo-European language but they're also said to be related to Saami peoples, an indigenous European group.
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Vita_Aeterna posted...

Metro2 posted...

Vita_Aeterna posted...

Metro2 posted...

It's the anime.

But that can't possible the only reason right?

There are a lot of countries in the world to admire. Iceland. Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland.

But when was the last time you heard of a Swiss fanboy? A Finn-eaboo?

That's what I'm getting at. Japanese culture, their peoples and society are basically fetishized-- resulting in an embarrassing group of peoples called "weaboos", but we don't see this happening with any other ethnicity, or culture. It's not just anime geeks, nerds and Japanese film enthusiasts, it's regular people who positively attribute Japanese food, architecture, their people, history etc.

Is it just good marketing on the Japanese part? The fact that they've made their country, their people, culture society digestible to foreign, particularly Western peoples because obviously Japan's been increasingly Westernized since Commodore Perry opened "close country"? That's the best idea I have right now.

I think that's what I've been wondering all this time too. Japanese culture being fetishized without truly studying it.

And I know this because when I was a kid, I dreamed about moving to Japan and working at Nintendo cuz they "make the best games"

But then I grew up and thought lol no.

And when it comes to anime, if people actually read up on the anime industry, you'll realize that the working conditions there are TERRIBLE. Many hours for so little pay. And something I hear about Japanese society working long hours in general compared to other first world countries. And the suicide problems.

Weebs on the internet don't equate to the general view of the population.
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BlueScum posted...

I'm not all that into anime and I don't play games nearly as much as I used to, but I have a penchant for Japanese cinema and the last novel I read was from Japan. They just produce quality art, I guess.

This "art", are there ideas, elements in it that you think are indigenous to Japan?
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weebs
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Mainly because, as you said in the OP, Japan itself has aggressively looked to the West for about a century and a half now. As a country today in a lot of ways they are sort of a Western nation, although ideologically and culturally their history obviously is way different than any comparable nation in the West (well, except for how they were a nation under feudalism in the middle ages similar to what you found politically in Europe around the same time). The other country very similar to Japan in that respect is South Korea, although they have been looking Westward for much less time comparatively. But yeah, the anime/video games that Japan has been producing for decades is a big deal in the discussion too. I personally grew up with Japanese cartoons and Japanese video games as a mainstay during my childhood in the 1990's.
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josifrees posted...

Flintgrandad posted...

josifrees posted...

The more I learn about japan the more I hate it. Its beautiful and all that shit but goddamn their conservatives need to gtfo

Historically they are so so brutal towards everyone else

You can tell with responses like this that most westerners compare Japan with their own and pretend like the other countries don't even exist or aren't civilized enough to be mentioned. Tell me how the "conservatives" in countries like Iran, China, and Uganda are like.

You dont know shit about me bruh so stfu. This topic is about Japan. If you wanna start a topic about those other countries I will be more than willing to tell those conservatives to get the fuck out as well.

As far as I can tell though those countries didnt have the power to commit genocides and complete political assassinations on literally every neighboring country they interacted with within the past 150 years and on top of that have the audacity to deny every single one

Thanks for proving my point. North Americans/Europeans such as yourself are extremely ethnocentric and think your countries are the centers to be compared to and ignoring that 75+% of the world (Asia, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe) are much further "right" than you.
And turkey does do just that. Hell they're committing a genocide right now lol

I think you're just basing this off of Internet and nerd culture and that's because of anime and video games. In real life I've seen plenty of enthusiasts of cultures from all over the world and Japanese enthusiasts are treated the same as any other enthusiasts (weeb is a hardcore Internet term and I haven't seen a single person who isn't extremely socially maladjusted use it irl)
Though I guess Japan does have more technology and products like cars that are exposed to the west.
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GiftedACIII posted...

I think you're just basing this off of Internet and nerd culture and that's because of anime and video games. In real life I've seen plenty of enthusiasts of cultures from all over the world and Japanese enthusiasts are treated the same as any other enthusiasts (weeb is a hardcore Internet term and I haven't seen a single person who isn't extremely socially maladjusted use it irl)
Though I guess Japan does have more technology and products like cars that are exposed to the west.

Maybe, I do think most people under 40--those from the West have a positive or favorable opinion on Japan and Japanese people. Although I assume it gets hazy with Baby Boomers, and especially the Silent Generation. I wouldn't be surprised to see WW2 veterans that served in the Pacific to still hold some prejudice, or hold some anti-Japanese sentiment.
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I think Asian pop culture has become popular with the younger generation but Japan gets the most exposure with South Korea in second. A lot of Soundcloud rappers (teens to early 20s) reference anime through their music and even tattoos. Japanese streetwear and high end fashion trends are popular with in hip-hop culture and the younger Asian generation. Also their technology and video game market is appealing to a wide audience.

Japan's niche just became broader over the years as more younger people grew up exposed to parts of Japanese culture and had a big impact on their lives.
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a42ozslushie posted...

Vita_Aeterna posted...

Because their peoples bend their knee to the West, instead of fight it (the Middle East)?

You're really gonna say this about the people who got a nuke dropped on one of their cities and still refused to surrender?

Actually they did try to surrender, but there was a mistranslation.
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Flintgrandad posted...

josifrees posted...

Flintgrandad posted...

josifrees posted...

The more I learn about japan the more I hate it. Its beautiful and all that shit but goddamn their conservatives need to gtfo

Historically they are so so brutal towards everyone else

You can tell with responses like this that most westerners compare Japan with their own and pretend like the other countries don't even exist or aren't civilized enough to be mentioned. Tell me how the "conservatives" in countries like Iran, China, and Uganda are like.

You dont know shit about me bruh so stfu. This topic is about Japan. If you wanna start a topic about those other countries I will be more than willing to tell those conservatives to get the fuck out as well.

As far as I can tell though those countries didnt have the power to commit genocides and complete political assassinations on literally every neighboring country they interacted with within the past 150 years and on top of that have the audacity to deny every single one

Thanks for proving my point. North Americans/Europeans such as yourself are extremely ethnocentric and think your countries are the centers to be compared to and ignoring that 75+% of the world (Asia, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe) are much further "right" than you.
And turkey does do just that. Hell they're committing a genocide right now lol

Oh yeah? Are the Turks assassinating the president of Greece, Syria, and the Balkans because they didnt want to open their markets to them or are they rape and pillage a city of millions just to prove a point along with enslaving millions of people to build railroads or marching hundreds of thousands of POWs across jungles for no particular reason? Fuck no.

the only point you are proving is that you are a troll. I know the most of the world is more conservative than the west and it has shitall to do with this topic
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r4X0r posted...

I think it's the fact that Japanese people run Japanese society for Japanese people, and they don't give a flying fuck if you don't like it. They're a strong culture. Look at America, where we bend over backwards for illegal aliens. If you go to Japan and bitch about the way things work, you're most likely deported.

That's the way EVERY COUNTRY SHOULD BE.
UK for UK natural born citizens.

Canada for Canadians

etc.

That's Common Sense.

No Country should bend over for any other country, person, or outsiders.

If you want to live in said other country, apply through the countries legal immigration system.

If they still don't want you, tough luck!
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Ohohoho boy. That topic title.

Tag for hilarity.
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Distant_Rainbow posted...

Ohohoho boy. That topic title.

Tag for hilarity.

Why is my topic title funny?
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because the US government had a vested interest in seeking the approval of Asians in Asia and America so as to fuel the schism between minorities in the United States

By promoting Asian excellence as an idea and perpetuating the model minority myth, they were able to pit other minorities against Asians in a coordinated societal influence campaign. A house divided, etc.

This is real btw.

Also this topic proves Japan-worship in America exists and is pervasive.
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josifrees posted...

Flintgrandad posted...

josifrees posted...

Flintgrandad posted...

josifrees posted...

The more I learn about japan the more I hate it. Its beautiful and all that shit but goddamn their conservatives need to gtfo

Historically they are so so brutal towards everyone else

You can tell with responses like this that most westerners compare Japan with their own and pretend like the other countries don't even exist or aren't civilized enough to be mentioned. Tell me how the "conservatives" in countries like Iran, China, and Uganda are like.

You dont know shit about me bruh so stfu. This topic is about Japan. If you wanna start a topic about those other countries I will be more than willing to tell those conservatives to get the fuck out as well.

As far as I can tell though those countries didnt have the power to commit genocides and complete political assassinations on literally every neighboring country they interacted with within the past 150 years and on top of that have the audacity to deny every single one

Thanks for proving my point. North Americans/Europeans such as yourself are extremely ethnocentric and think your countries are the centers to be compared to and ignoring that 75+% of the world (Asia, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe) are much further "right" than you.
And turkey does do just that. Hell they're committing a genocide right now lol

Oh yeah? Are the Turks assassinating the president of Greece, Syria, and the Balkans because they didnt want to open their markets to them or are they rape and pillage a city of millions just to prove a point along with enslaving millions of people to build railroads or marching hundreds of thousands of POWs across jungles for no particular reason? Fuck no.

the only point you are proving is that you are a troll. I know the most of the world is more conservative than the west and it has shitall to do with this topic

Turkey is a horrible example. Look up the Ottoman Empire if you want to see what kind of atrocities they committed.
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Zikten posted...

Anime and games

This.

The West has grown up on Japanese media since the 80s
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YOUHAVENOHOPE posted...

because the US government had a vested interest in seeking the approval of Asians in Asia and America so as to fuel the schism between minorities in the United States

By promoting Asian excellence as an idea and perpetuating the model minority myth, they were able to pit other minorities against Asians in a coordinated societal influence campaign. A house divided, etc.

This is real btw.

Also this topic proves Japan-worship in America exists and is pervasive.

Most Asian's really are model citizens, I've looked at the stats; I live in the community; I'm part of that community.

So knock it off with this "myth" BS.

It's FACT!
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Maybe if you follow the certain peoples definition of "Asian" and conjure up only East Asian people

Our relative overall affluence and stability has less to do with race or culture
and more to do with the fact that certain people never really fucked with us enough to impact things that greatly.

Also I live IN that culture too, and I see just as much sleazebag shit as I do hardworking loyal workers and families

It's a myth, perpetuated by the US government and its interests to keep minorities comparing each other and tearing at each other's throats. It's backed by numbers completely skewed because Asians number so small in the United States, and again were not fucked with heavily.
Also skewed by US definitions of "Asian," and separating Middle Easterners, Indians, and SE Asians when studying/researching these things.

If all Asians really were in line with the Model Minority Myth, then why aren't Hmong populations, Viet, Malay, Cambodians, etc also up there with East Asians?
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Turkey is a horrible example. Look up the Ottoman Empire if you want to see what kind of atrocities they committed.

I dont need to look it up I know the evil shit they did. Still a drop in the blood bucket
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Where do you get the idea that the Japanese worship the West?