There is this enduring stereotype of the Nippon no otosan (Japanese Dad). It emerged sometime during the 1970s and remains, to this day, the most common and recognizable model for fatherhood in Japan.
The Japanese Dad is far from the hearty, friendly type we normally associate with dads from, say, the United States; kids can't really talk to him about their problems and they certainly don't count on him to show up and holler at soccer games too often, simply because he's ensnared in the workings of the kaisha (company) and unaccustomed to associating with the family to any great extent.
Japanese Dads have always leaned toward the dasai (unsophisticated), shoboi (shabby) and oyaji-kusai (middle-aged uncoolness), making it easier for kids to regard his perpetual absence as a matter of course.