No, it's not Shootingstar.
First of all, the Japanese have more of a collectivist culture, as opposed to our "individualistic" one. So, the attitude that you noted, Mr. B. is a reflection of that.
But sometimes, there is a high price for stoicism and putting up a good front for the good of the group. I don't want to make statements about a culture I am not a part of. My statements are based on lots of case studies I did in my culture of identity and oppression course, as well as formerly living in a community that has at least a 15% Asian population. My kids saw a lot of their friends crack under the pressure. It wasn't fun when my 20 year old son had to call his friend's parents from college to tell them she was in the emergency room because she tried to kill herself.
It's very true that the Japanese are way more prepared for this type of emergency than we are.