Oh, I thought this was the old thread Is Japan a Western country ?, but it appears to be a new one from today. I have already discussed in length this topic since I posted the first thread in December 2002. So feel free to have a look at what has been said.
However, 2 years ago I was arguing that Japan could be seen as a Western country because it had copied so much from the West, but I am not sure anymore.
It is true that Japan is very Westernised, from the political system (e.g. constitution, laws, parliamentary system, etc.) and economical system (Western style companies and management), to the culinary habits (e.g. the Japanese didn't eat beef, pork or any dairy products before Meiji, and also had no beer, wine, bread, pastries, cakes, etc.), the clothes (which they even called 洋服 or "Western clothes", as opposed to the kimono/yukata), but also Western technology and sciences, sports (e.g. baseball, football, golf...), hobbies (e.g. Western music and dances), and even the language (thousands of loan words from European languages, Roman alphabet...).
It is sometimes difficult to see that these things are Western nowadays, as most countries around the world have adopted the Western political and economical system, sciences and technology, and even once secluded countries like China now adopt Western colthing, food, music, etc. In fact, Westernisation has almost become synonymous with development.
But since I posted that article, I came to realise that what makes Japan completely un-Western is its radically different education system, values & morals (including the implications it has on the legal system), and above all the fact that the Japanese always refer to all foreigners as "gaikokujin" regardless of their nationality, and as opposed to them (concept of "uchi" vs "soto", typical of East Asian societies, but not Western ones).
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