Originally posted by Anton Magus For them, its Japan first, Company/Corporation second and Family/Self last.
No it isn't. Not sure where you get that idea, but don't confuse patience and dedication with some sort of subjugation of the self. When the Japanese self-identify with their employer or their University is it really different from Americans (et al) identifying themselves with brands?
You might as well sum up the West by saying, "For them, it's gratification first, arguing about everything second, and family last." When I left Tokyo there was a magazine in publication called "WIFM" - "what's in it for me". It was, of course, an Anglophone-oriented magazine.