I believe, its still there, but also the threads of other cultures disordering this.
Insofar their fear of being overtaken is real. But they did the same with others, and it might well be a kind of chain-reaction, after having been forced to open after a long closing down for outsiders, to name only one event.
Which says, you have to go even further back and then we have the invaders from Portugal. . .saying, that they come with "God", but been heard for saying something like: "first the religion, then the rest" (for commerce!) on a ship, where there was a Japanese with good ears.
This caused the very rest, the foreigners were thrown out, who had behaved badly already, by attacking japanese believes with destructive actions, thus the Japanese were defending and also agressive. But this talk on the ship gave it the rest.
I adored the Japanese for having heard this, because other nations around at that time haven't, and consequently were overrun. Not so Japan, still an outstanding example!
Starting from there, and then to
Commodore Perry, who forced Japan to open up, you may get the kind of trauma, thats still there somehow.
I come with psychology, not just history.
There are many following events, that can very well be dated back to those events, still.
As for the japanese behaviour pattern, and why this and when and not that etc.
And I have a clear view about the differences of the perceptions of the Japanese and other cultures, including their behavior towards their neighbour states. Having come slowly and via China>Korea, I had enough time, to think and feel about this.
What still is taken for an "offence" indeed, if others tell them. But in some cases its fatal for Japan, because often, friendly views from outside may have a better overview. Thats normal everywhere, and thats what friends are for. But not so for a hurt pride. . .
Fact is, they have done so much to adapt positively after the opening, but then linked themselves to Nazi-times, overrated themselves and got the according answer, as much overdone. Next trauma.
The old asian way is to try to understand the other one first, try to see things from their point of view, thats asic politeness, and then maybe show yourself, not the other way round. But the west did it exactly the other way round, which must have puzzled them a lot, every time, they had the "pleasure" to be touched. . .
And so they learned the games of the other side, mirroring them back, beause the old chinese and also japanese habit was, to honour someone, by taking something and giving it back in advanced form. Next shock, they were accused for stealing!
(the copyright-story as an example, it was understood as the right to copy, not in our way. . .)
However, they often found themselves in such a strange situation before, I suppose, being accused for being agressive, where they were not, to give you an idea. Combine this with the hurt of being intruded, thus handled agressively, you have the spriral of war. And can very well lead to overrating yourself by trying to restore your own inner strength in the hope, that your emperor really is a god (this story was invented
after Perry, by the way, not before!!), and thus you cannot fail.
That has cost many cultures maybe first ups, but then downs, because it was a bubble to burst sooner or later.
Anyhow, the inner self-worth-balance was disturbed, although not in all of them. By finding others, be it a Maori, who also has similar traumas and thus knows how to "handle" them to his wish, or similar thinkers, who also felt mishandled, so to say...well, the whaling war, as it is already called.
And yet, if they remember their own real inner strength, they may find back to their original harmony and see what is possible, necessary or not. Adapting to
new situations or changes, has never really been their problems. They had enough natural desasters to be trained to get up again quickly, much better than others!! Thus, if they remember that too, they can have a quick recovery, but only then.
They ought to know and remember, if they behave against nature, nature strikes back. . .hardly anyone knows better than them.
But this also means, that outsiders should try to understand them and help them to recover. Not help them to go on hurting nature (F..., some agressive norvegians are exactly wrong for them), but to relax and see clear.
I am sure, as soon as they will stand up again for what they once were and held up (in relation to such positive parts of culture), they can count on all the help in the world. Not much to loose, except some agressive manipulators for money only (that play a false game with their deeper hurts), and maybe some outdated habits.
Its just a tiny little step further. . .
I may be naive, but thats about the sketch of the picture.