Does that courtesy extend to the Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, or American prisoners of war? I do recall the expression of some hostility in the 1930s and 1940s.
You got me on that one. They were particularly brutal to the POW's.
"Exactly, from what little I know of their culture, I think they value courtesy too much to be outright hostile."
They don't even understand what courtesy is.
What they have is a strictly defined system of required phrases (kimarimonku) and actions that serve the purpose of avoiding conflict, but have nothing to do with any actual regard for the other person.
This minuet serves the purpose of containing the murderous rage that lurks just below the surface.