Mary King has posted an essay that explores the differences between Japanese and Western roboticists and presents an explanation of how these differences came about. The article also explore differences in how people in the East and West approach the ideas of roboethics and robot rights. King starts at the begining by explaining how Western audiences perceived RUR when it premiered in 1921, compared to how Tokyo audiences perceived in when it premiered in Japan in 1924. Along the way, she mentions a variety of robots, some of which you may not have heard of before, such as the Robo-Priest who has been on duty since 1993 in the Yokohama cemetary and can perform Buddist, Protestant, and Catholic rites. Definitely an interesting read.