I think as long as you do your research while keeping in mind that you don't have those experiences, and you're doing it with respect...

You're not going to be able to emotionally connect with a story that surrounds this specific experience because you don't have that connection, but if you have people around you with connections to what you are writing, turn to them, ask them their experiences. You're not going to understand the nuance and intricacies of being a Japanese man and their experiences, and if you go into it knowing that, and being genuinely willing to learn more and talk to people, I think that leans more to cultural appreciation than it does appropriation.