Are there counterpart English expressions to Japanese proverb, "the nail that pops up is always hammered down?
Solution 1:
As Marc pointed out in his answer, there is an Australian version, although his wording is much more proper than I would expect from us Aussies. I have always heard it expressed as "Tall poppies get cut short".
Also, check out Tall Poppy Syndrome.
Solution 2:
I know the questioner wanted proverbs that value conformity, but this proverb comes to mind immediately:
The squeaky wheel gets the grease
It has the exact opposite meaning to the proverb in the question, but the sentiment is similar: it describes what happens to something (or someone) that draws attention to itself (himself). If the questioner is interested in the differences between Western and Japanese culture, and how these manifest through language, they might find this interesting.
Solution 3:
I heard this phrase used, I think by a Korean, in a documentary called BBoy Planet. There, it was translated as "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down", which seems to carry the meaning better into English.
English phrases with similar connotations might include...
- Keep your head down.
- Don't stick your neck out.
As you pointed out, Western culture has a different view of individuality, so a phrase like "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down" takes on a different meaning. Because of our culture, we infer that the message is something like Be More Sympathetic To Those Who Are Different - basically, Don't Be A Hammer. In an Eastern context, the meaning is obvious: Being Different Invites Trouble.
Solution 4:
Denis Thatcher, husband of the late Margaret Thatcher, kept a notably low profile. When asked about it, he would sometimes say:
It's the whale that spouts that gets harpooned.
When people are, for example, starting a new job, they are often advised to:
Keep your head down and your mouth shut.
If somebody in an institution intends to oppress you, they say:
I will come down on you like a ton of bricks.
But, in general, English-speaking culture does not have that kind of unavoidable, oppressive conformity ... except in the military. Can anybody with military experience think of an equivalent expression?