I don’t know if they’re the same people now. We don’t seem to be either.
On the surface, it seems Japanese men are wusses now, would rather play video games. But give them a reason to fight, and they will. "Battle Royale" is on Netflix, a 2000 movie where Japanese school kids are pitted against each other to the death. Interesting movie (the much later "Hunger Games" is similar in concept).