PATH 3909
I probably didn't state that quite right. He probably knows (intellectually) that you don't care. Japanese buisiness people know that Americans don't mind saying "no" or being told "no". That doesn't mean they can do it. Just because you know that somebody else doesn't consider something rude or embarbutting or disrepectful doesn't make it any easier for you to do it.
He's likely english. A non-native speaker would take more care to write something that makes sense. And a...
Another example: in certain subcultures of the US, making eyecontact with somebody has traditionally been disrespectful. One may make eye contact with a peer, but one does not look an authority figure in the eye. After being raised that way, it doesn't matter if somebody is told to make eye contact during a job interview or when being introduced to someone in authority, they find it difficult and uncomformtable to do so.
Sort of.
It's not about what English people care about. It's not about English people think is rude or disrepectful.
He's not going to do something he thinks is rude, disrepectful, or embarbutting. And he's going to try to avoid asking you to do something he wouldn't want to do. Neither would you do something you think is rude, disrepectful or embarbutting nor ask somebody else to.
-- Grant Edwards grante Yow! I want a VEGETARIAN at BURRITO to go... with visi.com EXTRA MSG!!