Pacopoolio - although I find it hard to believe you've stopped to consider fully just how much of a blow WW2 was for Japan, you make an excellent point about Japan being its own sovereign nation. You're right, Japanese people were never a downtrodden minority so point taken, I accept your point.
Moving on, then, to the Kurds. These people have been downtrodden and persecuted. Apart from a brief blip (1920-1923) they've never ruled themselves.
Out of all the ethnic groups in Iraq and Syria, it is the Kurds who have worked the hardest at embracing democracy, and have been the bravest in defending their homeland from Islamist scum.
Why?