Why were some Okinawan civilians ordered to commit suicide by the Japanese military?

During the Battle of Okinawa, the Japanese military ordered civilians to commit suicide as the American forces advanced and capture became imminent. This tragic directive was part of the extreme measures taken by the Japanese military to prevent civilians from falling into enemy hands. In some instances, the military provided families with hand grenades to detonate when they believed they were about to be captured by U.S. troops.12

This horrific practice contributed to the staggering loss of life on the island, where an estimated 100,000 Okinawan men, women, and children perished through either direct combat or these state-ordered suicides. The Japanese military's refusal to surrender, even as their position became untenable, led to a catastrophic toll on the local population during what was one of the bloodiest campaigns of the Pacific War.123