The Japanese were not uncivilized tribes..
They could explain to you their culture and where they are, and where they live and make sense.
:)
Russ in NOVA
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Given that American politicians and leadership was pretty much white European well into the the second half of the 20th century, most cultures were looked down upon, including Asian cultures. White America was equal opportunity racist.
Anonymous
"Why did America think of the Japanese culture as backwater"
If your hypothesis is incorrect then the conclusion cannot be correct.
cf Japan in WWI
Anonymous
MOST AMERICANS, [as in U.S. citizens] didn't know anything about Japanese culture before WWII.