From what I could find it looks like these group suicides are not that new a problem.

This was an interesting post about the psychological reasons for culturally accepting suicide in Japan.

The Japanese have accepted and commended persons who committed Seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment). It has been a time-honored traditional form of suicide among the samurai class in Japan for centuries.

"Seppuku in Japan has been nurtured in Japan's socio-cultural
tradition as one of the soci...

From what I could find it looks like these group suicides are not that new a problem.

This was an interesting post about the psychological reasons for culturally accepting suicide in Japan.

The Japanese have accepted and commended persons who committed Seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment). It has been a time-honored traditional form of suicide among the samurai class in Japan for centuries.

"Seppuku in Japan has been nurtured in Japan's socio-cultural
tradition as one of the socially and culturally prescribed and
positively sanctioned role-behaviour in hierarchical organizations as
well as in highly formal and tightly-knit human groups and classes.
Seppuku may have become extremely rare in contemporary Japan but the
type of suicide related to one's role-performance still seems to
continue even in the twentieth century."

The young suicide groups give the members strength in numbers, so they can't back out without "losing face", and therefore go through with their suicides together.

Interesting cultural phenomenon. Great clip - Thanks.