That was what I got too - it was the POST Imperial Japan that set the example, and I thought by then we were all clear that Japanese people are not inherently bad, the had been ruled by a thuggish cabal who had brainwashed their followers into becoming even bigger thugs.
They were at war for almost 15 years by the time WWII ended. My guess is their “superiority” complex was pretty much living on its own by then.
The Japanese were brutal overlords. There really isn’t a way around that. My guess is that it wouldn’t take more than a scratch or two to expose that and bring it to life again.