Japan is a repressive society that trains citizens to be submissive, where exploitation, violence, suffering, and opposition are hidden in order to keep up the illusion of harmony. Which ever perspective you prefer, producing harmony or the impression of harmony requires constant attention and resources.
Protests often appeal to emotion, to personal sense of obligation rather than to principles or laws.
Enormous amount of energy put into behaving appropriately in human relationships, maintaining them through gifts, favors, humble language, putting aside one's own preferences and needs in order to blend in, not cause trouble for others. Japanese tend to see the ability to keep your personal feelings and interests separate from your public role as a sign of maturity. People expected to treat them with respect, to gratefully accept care without asking questions. In companies where promotion is strictly age-based, implicit expectations and explicit training presses younger people to be appropriately subordinate, managers to delegate, praise, admonish, mentor. Long school days, few vacation days, small houses, long commutes, difficulty of changing jobs mid career.