That's a myth, the japanese practically invented the modern urban Asian life as we know it, from the 80s, with the popularization of TV, computers, fridge, rice cooker, cars/bikes, trains.No, I guess.
It's culturally and systematically different.
Just look at Japan, the Japanese just knows how to improve someone else inventions rather than inventing world-changing thing on their own.
And that makes them stuck because they cannot move forward to the next development step.
China is no different than Japan, except China is still poorer and developing, so there's an illusion of progress and moving forward.
The korean are improving upon it, and chinese might usher a new era altogether.
I hope there's a time for us SEAians tho.