Death in recent Japanese Cinema

[Matango]

Has it always been the case or is this recent phenomenon or is it simply
a coincidence that most of the recent-ish Japanese films I've seen in
the past couple of weeks on DVD have all featured the death of one of
the major characters, a major no-no in Hollywood films? I'm not talking
about people being murdered here, but folks dying of natural
causes/illness. The films generally seem less about the central
characters - usually a young female - dealing with the effect of the
loss of someone close to them, than from it finding direction and
meaning in their lives. The films I'm thinking of include A SINGLE DROP
OF WATER IN A MIGHT RIVER, ACROSS A GOLDEN PRAIRIE/Kinpatsu no sougen ,
BEING HERE/Koko ni irukoto, FIRST LOVE/Hatsukoi and NAGISA...I hope I
got those titles correct! Any thoughts/comments?

Miles