The "save face" attitude I mentioned in a previous reply is related to the fact that East Asian societies are far more hierarchical. That also explains their trust in or submission to authority and the importance attached to job titles like "doctor", "professor", "teacher" (a relic from Confucian emphasis on scholarship) as well as various honorifics they use in their languages. The notion of individual rights is virtually unheard of. The emphasis is more on your role and duties in life. You know where the bowing comes from, right? Historically they'd make apologies along the lines of "I don't deserve to live" and present their heads to whomever they'd offended.
I'm far from an expert but if any of you want to understand East Asia better, I'd recommend John Keay's "
A History of China" as a starting point. China's civilizational influence on East Asia cannot be overstated. Other parts of Asia were more strongly influenced by Indian (Hindu) civilization which itself may explain (at least in part) the hierarchical nature of their societies (as opposed to Confucianism's influence elsewhere) due to the caste system, and, in some cases, Western colonialism. That applies even to Muslim nations like Malaysia and Indonesia which were previously largely under both Indian and (to a lesser degree) Chinese influence. I believe the obsession in places like SEA with White men is partly because we were once at the top of the food chain over there (e.g. Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc). In other words, it's hierarchical to them.