The Japanese have a long history and have a lot of wisdom that is separate and different from other Asian countries. Many English speakers are aware of the famous proverb “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down”; most do not know that it originated in Japan (some claim the proverb is Chinese). With respect to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) the proverb’s significance is that if one country stands alone against the PRC, the PRC would hammer it to submission to conform to its authoritarian demands. We have seen the PRC’s aggressive and expansionist behavior, especially to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and each country with claims in the South China Sea (SCS) and will continue to see it—until nations decide to take a stand together against the PRC’s voracious appetite for power.
The world saw the severe economic pressure the PRC applied to Australia starting in May 2020 when the PRC decided to punish Australia for 14 perceived “mistakes”, including Australian: legislation scrutinizing foreign influence in national security matters; appeal for an independent inquiry into the source of COVID-19; and new defense agreement with Japan. The Chinese Embassy in Canberra leaked a list of 14 complaints to three Australian newspapers coupled to a threat to alter national policies or face more threatening actions.
https://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/2021/11/30/the-nail-that-sticks-out-gets-hammered-down/
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/02/24/education-in-japan_n_1299215.html
https://genius.com/Taylor-swift-didnt-they-lyrics