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Agree with many of your points Doc.
There are a great many foreign ball players in MLB, the majority of them speak spanish.  They to must overcome a cultural shock too (I will concede the pt here that there is more of a social support group here, due to number of Latin players which does help abate the cultural differences). 
It would have been difficult for Ichiro to declare that he is one of the teams leaders the first few years in the league and even more so during the Hargrove debacle, that being said he currently has the overt support of both his Manager and Griffey.  This is the time he should begin taking more of the mantle of leadership - not that he needs to carry it all by himself but he should accept at least a portion of it.
I believe by doing so he will further gain the respect of his teammates.  In Japan, it may be required that a foreign play know his place; however in the states I still believe that we have traditionally a much more egalitarian society - where if you are a proven expert in your field you have the right to speak.