I think the question has been asked before here, and afai remember some have speculated that the Japanese culture is somewhat more hierarchical and authoritarian.
This is exactly correct. Japanese culturally don't like to step out of line.
I've often thought of bitcoin as being started by some government entity. the romanticism of a lone programer implementing and seeding this technology feels a little too good to be true, but alas these are my feelings.
whom ever owns the initial bitcoins will own the throne of the finicial world if bitcoin takes off... who is Santoshi?