There is a giant cultural difference between Japan and the US. In Japan, honor and not shaming your family are imprinted on you. Not here. It would be shameful to walk away from an obligation in Japan. I suppose eventually that will change, but saving face and not embarassing your family are very important in Japanese culture.
Also, here —bankruptcy is “forgiven” after a period of time. I don’t know – maybe in Japan it’s not?
