Ranger hierarchy

[Capt.Montoya]

Even if the Minbari were originally modelled after the Japanese I wouldn't expect them to be the same. In fact I think that as the series progressed and JMS fleshed out the Minbari society further it became less and less obvious that they were modelled after Japan.
For example: the "socialistic meritocracy" the Minbari appear to be doesn't have any parallel in Japan that I know of.

Excuse my lack of memory or attention, but I don't remember that the Minbari had a concept like Karma.
Something that was much more apparent was that they had a very strong sense of honor.

[bakana]

Capt.Montoya, I wasn't saying the Minbari were modelled after the Japanese.

I was using them as an example to refute the idea that a strong attachment to Family might translate into an ethic of Helping strangers.

A good look at many Human societies would actually support the Opposite conclusion.
In many human societies, if you Ain't Family, you ain't fully "Human".

In the Japanese example, I did include the Cultural basis for not helping a stranger.
(As best I understand it.)

The Minbari would have their own reasons for Whatever they do.

I said Socialistic Meritocracy because that's the way I've understood the few clues JMS has given us to how the Minbari operate.

Darned Vorlon. Never Explains anything.

[Capt.Montoya]

Originally posted by bakana
Capt.Montoya, I wasn't saying the Minbari were modelled after the Japanese.

You didn't... but someone did.

There are certain aspects of
me scattered in all the B5 characters, Delenn in particular. Then you
start adding elements that seem to shore up those traits. For Delenn I
pulled in some aspects of Zen mysticism, Japanese culture, certain
Moslem influences in government and culture (minbar is the name for the
pulpit in a mosque)...next comes the layering of history, where she
came from, who her parents were, what happened to them (which, btw,
you'll hear this season)...

http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-4329

There's a great deal of generalized historical and political metaphor in the
show, never one-to-one because that's too easy, but disguised in one form or
another, transumted. The Centauri Republic isn't a real republic by any
stretch of the imagination...any more than the Roman Republic from which it
draws some of its political structure, particularly the Centarum, the ruling
body. There's a great deal of Japanese political and social structure to the
Minbari, in their culture and art and some of their philosophy. You can find
parallels to the story in World War II, and the bible, among a few dozen
others.

http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-15868


I get your point better now. And in general I agree that we saw too little of the alien cultures to make some conclusions, without antropomorphizing them.