This isn't really surprising in a country where saving face, social standing and collectivism is everything. Other horrible consequences of these deeply embedded social systems are "evaporated people" [0][1] and the terrible treatment of single parents [2][3].
[0] https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-04-25/japans-evaporated-peo...
[1] https://www.businessinsider.com/evaporated-people-disappeari...
[2] https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/09/japan-i...