Asians in general have a high probability of genetically having less Oxytocin receptors. Oxytocin affects levels of self-esteem and optimism. It also has a strong effect on whether stress causes a person to withdraw from social situations or to seek help from others. It also affects empathy in a society.
The withdrawal symptoms shown in this article, and subsequent scorn by Japanese society (rather than sympathy) could be a indicator of this genetic predisposition.
Here is a breakdown of oxytocin receptiveness across some common racial groups. The more G's you have, the more resilient and social you are.
http://browser.1000genomes.org/Homo_sapiens/Variation/Popula...
Also the wikipedia article on oxytocin might be of interest for anyone who has Aspergers or Autistic tendencies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxytocin
It's interesting to ponder Oxytocin's effect on Asian culture as a whole... confucianism, book smarts, wrote memorization, suffer in silence, etc.