It's an interesting question. Do multinationals adopt to local cultures or do they try to set the tone locally? The example you gave goes one way, what about the other way? Should an American company operating in Japan follow local culture (e.g. some of the things listed above)?

I don't know what the right answer is, but I've worked in Asia as part of a multinational company and always felt weird about requiring pictures for job applications. There were also comments regarding female candidates that would definitely be considered unacceptable in the US but is normal there.