"Saving face" is all about the honor of the face-saver.  There really isn't a great deal of honor in cheating, stealing and lying.  On that we agree.

I think many of these old Japanese traditions are a thing of the past, or at least much less important than they were 50 years ago. 

Following the end of WWII, the emperor had to renounce his divinity and eventually became an admirer of the western civilization.  So much so, that he visited America in 1975, was welcomed by Pres. Ford, met John Wayne (a dream of his) and was presented with a Mickey Mouse watch at Disneyland.  This dispelled the idea that Hari-Kari was the requirement for face-saving way back then.

Now if the thieves, cheats and liars we've been dealing with want to REALLY save face, they can always haul out the old swords.