"Asians have been using masks for a long time"

Wearing masks in Asia has been around for a very long time. I remember seeing people with masks when I visited Tokyo in 1970 right out of college. I asked people then if they were being worn as a way to deal with pollution, which was very serious in Tokyo at the time. they said no they were for disease protection.I then asked did you wear wear them to protect yourself against getting sick. They told me no people wear them when they are sick themselves to protect other people from getting sick. I remember thinking at that time that this was an interesting feature of Japanese culture, I thought most Americans would assume people wore them to protect themselves from getting sick. I was also told back then that this practice started among Japanese soldiers during World War II.
So the stories I have been reading now that this practice began at the time of SARS are not correct.