[KennyBlanken]

A level of trade protectionism second only to North Korea has done a handy job of protecting all these various cottage industries...and I really don't see the difference between this and any of the other bespoke high-end goods made throughout western history?

Tenacity? Their tenacity for genocide, torture, and chemical/biological warfare is probably something we could do without.

This is still topical because for decades the powers that be in Japan have been openly pushing "we did nothing wrong / were the victims in WW2" historical revisionism that would make a Texas Board of Education member blush, and they've been increasingly running roughshod over the restrictions on military buildup.

Then there's the horrific criminal justice system.

Oh, and there's also the rampant xenophobia and racism.

You spoke of high praise for their manga; google "terraformars." A manga that started in 2011, gained an anime adaptation, and is still wildly popular. White/asian space settlers land on mars and battle native "bugs" that look exactly like extreme caricatures of black people, right down to their hair and hairstyling.