I myself do not subscribe to this stereotype, I have seen both extremes in junior dev. Some ask nothing but figure it out themselves, some ask too much and figure out nothing, some did both, some didn't and failed miserably. Some exhibit a mixture of these 4 quadrants.

For me, I'm resourceful and have ways to learn how things work myself, either by googling or asking peers. If I'm asked a question that I don't know about at point blank, I usually follow this template

1. Silent thinking for 2-3 seconds

2. Talk about something closely relevant that I actually know about

3. Concludes with "that being said, let me do some digging and get back to you"

This demonstrates that I understand the question, I know something relevant, and that I'm willing find out things that idk about. Especially if you're higher up the ladder, saying you don't know requires tact, I believe this is not specific to Asia. There's a fine line between this and a bullshitter; a bs-er simply drifts away from the topic and never comes back nor willing to find things out.

That being said, I adjust my strategy according to the culture of the company that I'm working in.