The dominant meaning of voluntary death in Japan seems to be that of the suppression of self through altruism towards or reproach of the group. Thus it is the psychology and the particular past of the individual than his feeling of belonging to the group which determines the circumstances from which the suicide is motivated. This will always be some kind of breaking of the vital bond uniting the individual to the group (dependence, obligation), which will make life unbearable for him and which will make him seek in voluntary death the most honorable way out.
Stevens, B. (2003). Éthique et suicide au Japon. Revue Philosophique de Louvain, 101(1), 71-79. https://doi.org/10.2143/RPL.101.1.722 (Original work published 2003)