Haven't been there but a walk around most west european capitals will tell you there’s something wrong going on around here. And no one reported back the same negative experience in either of the countries i mentioned, quite the contrary. Also reading stats about their infrastructure, crime rates and quality of life (i.e. life longevity) tell you an interesting story. I am not talking about culture, which needs to he experienced locally, but about how well managed those countries are and thats usually reflected in stats. Seem quite a bit more advanced than what we are used to here.
Knowing the work culture, I highly doubt the quality of life in Japan & Korea are better. Singapore is amazing indeed but it's unfair to compare it to governments of much larger nations.
Long hours in Japan just means they don't want to go home many times. Work can be pretty slow in office settings.
What do you mean, "many times"?
Generally people are expected to stay behind, leaving before your boss is considered rude.