Ivan Morris, in his book, “The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan,” puts the context of the Japanese suicidal attacks in a larger perspective, including the infamous bonsai charges and the kyo-kosai, where Japanese troops took part in mass suicide on the island of Saipan.
The Japanese soldiers on Saipan take part in a kyo-kosai, which involves drinking alcohol and then launching suicidal attacks on American lines. They do this as a way of breaking the ties to their previous life and showing loyalty to their Emperor.
During World War II, the Japanese would launch Banzai attacks at night, where thousands of soldiers would swarm the American front lines, often using brutal and medieval tactics such as sword wielding and hacking to death wounded Americans who couldn't escape.
Ivan Morris's book 'The Nobility of Failure' describes the tragic suicide attacks by Japanese soldiers, including the bonsai charges that took place on Saipan in July 1944, where 3000 soldiers armed with only bayonets charged into the concentrated machine-gun fire of American Marines.
During the closing months of World War II, the Japanese military resorted to increasingly desperate measures. One of these was the Kamikaze suicide attacks, which culminated in the last charge on the island of Okinawa.
During the battle of Saipan, Japanese civilians and troops were forced to the northern tip of the island where hundreds committed mass suicide by jumping off an 800-foot cliff into jagged rocks. The American soldiers watched in horror and the tragedy was captured on film.