I've worked with a few Japanese guys in my line of work. When I say Japanese I mean 100%, work visas and all. None of them were shorter than me....I'm 5'8". In fact, one of them was probably about 5'10". I somehow doubt that all you guys "towered" over the entire Japanese population. Of course, they theorize that the younger generation of Japanese are taller than the previous due to the introduction of Western-style diets.
It's gonna be harder to find a Japanese guy in his 20's hovering anywhere under 5'7". Years ago it was the majority. Not anymore. What's really strange is that these taller Japanese males are actually weaker than their shorter fathers. Here's a quick link on the subject:
http://quickstart.clari.net/qs_se/webnews/...l.RjkQ_DOA.html