Actually, 90% of the time, its not honor.

Japanese society is very different from Anglo-European societies. More than honor, its how things are done: pressure is applied, the person takes the fall. Often, it is someone who is not responsible taking the fall.

many Westerners have heard of the concept of 'face' with regards to the Orient.

The Japanese version of this is a duality / combination of 'tatemae' and 'honne'.

Tatemae [ta-te-ma-eh] means something like "that which is built in front" aka the facade, the outer presentation. It's what is there for show.

Honne [hon-neh] means "the true sound". It's what the person really feels inside.

Tatemae is what lubricates the flow and ebb of social interactions in Japan. "we behave this way, not because its what we truly feel, but because it is what is expected. It upholds all our social structures". Honne is something you will rarely express, very rarely in public and formal situations.

Thus, someone in an official position may resign not because they think they were wrong, but because they know it is necessary and expected.

This contrasts with the Western/Christian sense of "honor". In the Western cultures rooted in Christianity, honor means taking your punishment, with a repentant heart. It means taking the difficult way, because it is the right way. It is an adherence to internal rightness over external expediency.

This doesn't mean that honor doesn't exist in Japan, or that Japanese people are insincere. Rather, its that honor means different things to different peoples, and different cultures express sincerity in different ways. In Japan, appearing sincere is itself an expression of sincerity, even if they do not feel it.