Why is there no looting in Japan?

[Udgnim]

+1 "Morals and honor are important attributes to the Japanese, unlike most Americans and Westerners."

it's their culture

 

[wuliheron]

They have low crime because Japanese (as are all asian prisons I've heard stories of) prisons are hardcore. You are alone in a small room where you have to kneel all day. If you move too much the guards beat you with a club. If the US had prisons like that, I bet we would have lower crime rates too.

That doesn't explain why other countries also have lower crime rates, but not the same draconian prison systems.

 

[lothar]

Having been to Japan the answer is easy yet complicated.

Go ahead and explain it for us.

 

[lothar]

correct

Japanese also refuse to show fear.

This also fits into the "saving face" characterization that people have of Japanese people.

I will say this:
I've personally never met a Japanese in real life before so I can't confirm or deny any myths. If I did, I didn't know they were and couldn't tell the difference between a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese by just looking at them anyway.

 

[wuliheron]

Go ahead and explain it for us.

He's right, its simple yet complicated. It's as much an attitudinal difference as an intellectual one and about as removed from western culture as they come. A few people grasp it intuitively, but most really struggle with it. Not because its inherently difficult, but because it often contradicts how we're raised to think and feel.

 

[davmat787]

There is an option missing from the poll. I'll leave it at that.

Wut, the lack of multiculturalism in Japan compared to the US? Is that the missing option?

Oh hell, someone had to say it. Never been to Japan, and I have no idea what leads one to loot, but I do wonder if that has something to do with it. If it doesn't, fine so consider this a pre-troll block.

However, I think it simply comes down to how personal Honor is still a very important concept in Japan. Most kids here have probably only heard it used like "What do you mean itz $2.99!!! The ad sez $1.99 so you have to honor it motherfVcker!!" or on the cover of a video game.

Yea, I think its the honor thing.

EDIT: looked up some things related to honor in Japanese culture. The concept of Bushido is interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushido

 

[101mpg]

"I know it but I don't think I should say it..."

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I think it could just be a shift in culture, in the west we are more "individualistic" whereas in Asian countries people are more likely to be collectivist or working for the good of all. Each way has it's pro's and con's, and this is an obvious positive to collectivist culture.

lol @ collectivist and "working for the good of all" being used synonymously. Mexico and below is heavily collectivist, with families often living together and a strong religious force binding them, yet they contain some of the least civil people on Earth. Collectivism can be a positive when the collective follows valid moral values, but is meaningless on its own merit. Of course, the Japanese being an academically-minded and seppuku-worshipping people, happen to be an example of collective behavior that works.

 

[LunarRay]

I wonder what it is that makes 'looters' loot? Not everyone seeks to loot during events that provide that 'opportunity' but some do... Japan has criminals and most every country has criminals so what separates looters from the other crimes?
I think it has to do with opportunity coupled with the mind set of the looter contingent. That coupled with the philosophy taught from an early age that somehow sees looting during a tragic event as being beyond the beyonds...

 

[Moonbeam]

I wonder what it is that makes 'looters' loot? Not everyone seeks to loot during events that provide that 'opportunity' but some do... Japan has criminals and most every country has criminals so what separates looters from the other crimes?
I think it has to do with opportunity coupled with the mind set of the looter contingent. That coupled with the philosophy taught from an early age that somehow sees looting during a tragic event as being beyond the beyonds...

I think it's whether your morality is real because it internalized, or false, because you only do what you are told because of the threat of punishment.

For those who are moral because they want to be it doesn't matter if there's external force. For those who don't want to be moral but are because of fear, they will go nuts when external force disappears or becomes ineffective.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

College students and minorities is what you're saying. Japan like most Asian countries send their kids here for college so they aren't there to riot, and Japan doesn't allow blacks and hispanos to live there.

That's ridiculous. The number of international students you see in the US is NOT a good chunk of the college age in Asia. It's in fact a VERY small population. I know there's a lot, but there's PLENTY of young people in Asia if you've ever gone into the cities such as Shanghai, Taipei, Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, or Tokyo. The majority remain there for education like the majority remain in the US for college education.

 

[RbSX]

I think it's unfair to lump all 'westerners' in there, I love America, but excessive greed and scum is a mostly American thing.

 

[Infohawk]

I think it's unfair to lump all 'westerners' in there, I love America, but excessive greed and scum is a mostly American thing.

LOL. Sure it is.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

In the U.S., when disaster strikes you get New Orleans. In Japan, when disaster strikes you get cooperation, compassion, and a noted absence of looting.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

In the U.S., when disaster strikes you get New Orleans. In Japan, when disaster strikes you get cooperation, compassion, and a noted absence of looting.

In Europe, when worthless welfare statists are told they can't retire at 61, you get rioting, arson, and violence.

 

[Doppel]

People's ability to compare situations is pitiful. Have the Japanese never looted before? Crime rates plummeted after 911 in the US, this is a fact. The Japanese are not looting partly because their culture is probably more against that thing but definitely in great part because the country is reeling. This is not "their Katrina".

 

[epidemis]

"I guess , Japan is homogeneous society .
people feel that "we are one family ".
if your sister or brother is drown, you save him or her ,don't you ?"
- misuzu in tokyo

That's probably a good explanation, can be observed in northern European countries as well

 

[Veliko]

How do you know it hasn't happened? Maybe there isn't anything to loot!

 

[ultimatebob]

"I know it but I don't think I should say it..."

I believe that the PC way of saying it is that certain ethnic minorities are more prone to looting than others.

 

[GTaudiophile]

I believe that the PC way of saying it is that certain ethnic minorities are more prone to looting than others.

Haha! Someone finally said it!

 

[glenn1]

Haha! Someone finally said it!

Yes he did!

 

[classy]

There is nothing to loot. Its either under rubble, completely destroyed by water, or in an area now with radiation.

 

[classy]

This was not Katrina or after some riot. This was the most massive quake ever, with two after shocks, then a tsunami, and now radiation. Here survival of life is far more critical. There is nothing to loot. The earth's axis may have been shifted 10cm and the focus of the day is...................did they loot. If there was something there worth looting, I would hope and pray they did take it.

 

[HumblePie]

College students and minorities is what you're saying. Japan like most Asian countries send their kids here for college so they aren't there to riot, and Japan doesn't allow blacks and hispanos to live there.

Wow. You are just really the worst shill ever. Japan has some of the best, if not the best, universities in the world right now. Why the heck would they want to come here? Tokyo U is a massive university that damn near every Nihon-go aspires to get into. The ones, those of japanese decent, that are usually at our universities are either because A) they are in some sort of exchange program B) because they moved here and are Americans.

Um, and Japan doesn't stop people of other races from living within their country either.

One poll option is REALLY missing here that is the correct answer to this.

The Japanese, unlike any other nation on the planet, have gone through some really bad catastrophes as a nation and learned long ago to pull together to survive. They are the only ones to get bombed by nuclear bombs.

Combine that with other aspects of their culture, such as a more communal mindset they are raised into, a mindset to do better for the greater good of everyone in their country, and a few other things it is easy to figure out why there is no looting.

 

[Macamus Prime]

This is a cute way of digging at other races and cultures.

The racists win today.