“Why Is There No Looting In Japan?”

I have put the title in quotes as it is not me asking this question.

In all the guff that has come out about the still unfolding tragedy in Japan. This is the question that has annoyed me the most.

(Well that and the BBC and the Greens using the opportunity to scare people about Nuclear Power at every chance.)

Wolf Blitzer said it on CNN “Has there been looting in Japan?”and I’ve seen it repeated in other places, lately by the normally sensible Ed West in The Telegraph.

“Why Is There No Looting In Japan?”

It is the sort of question that can only has asked by someone who has never visited or lived there. I may be being over sensitive as perhaps some of the best times of my life  so far was living and working in Japan, but there seems to be an implied “What’s wrong with these people, our peasants would be looting the shit out of the place if it was them.” and that is sadly true. If you hold up a mirror all you see is yourself.

I’ll tell you why there is no looting in Japan.

Because it simply doesn’t occur to them to take stuff that does not belong to them. The sense of community and personal honour will not even contemplate such a thing.

I’ll give you a couple of personal examples;

Example The First

Once in the office, I was reading the BBC UK  and ‘tutted’ about a street mugging by a MONA of an 84 year old who had then died, all for some paltry sum.

A Japanese co-worker asked me what was wrong, so I told him. He then asked what a ‘mugging’ was. So I had to explain that it was someone using violence or the threat of violence to steal money from someone  in the street, I could see from his face that he just didn’t understand it, not through his lack of English which was excellent, but the fact that he had no frame of reference, it was like Steven Hawking trying to explain Dark Matter Theory to thee and me.

I then went on to talk about ‘Burglary’ He was aghast, the concept that someone would violate your personal space/home was an anathema to him. (Personal space/home is very important in Japan, it is inviolate) That someone would enter your HOME and take things that were not theirs was abhorrent

"But, Cat San” He said “Why do they not just get  a job if they want these things ?”

To which I had no answer and it still makes me wonder how we came to accept this as 'something that just happens'

Example The Second

The largest Japanese bank note is the ¥10,000 an ‘ichi-man’ at the time I was living there this was about  £65, a deal of money at any time, but being as a Becks was ¥600 it was probably equivalent in buying power to a £25 pound note on a night out.

A Gaijin friend was going home from Geronimo’s at about 1:00am and needed some money for the next day, so he went to the the cash point and got out ¥50,000 (It comes in 5 notes, Japanese shop keepers or Taxi drivers do not have the same conniptions as ours do when presented with a £50 note) 

I saw him the next day in the bar looking glum, I asked the problem and he replied

“I got ¥50,000 out the cash point, got a taxi home, paid for the cab with one note, but when I checked just now I only have ¥30,000 , I must have dropped one putting it into my wallet.”

To which a Japanese acquaintance also at the bar interjected.

“Have you tried the Police Station?”

We scoffed incredulously at him, Roppongi Crossing on a Friday night is as busy as Piccadilly Circus and still being naive and new to Japan we put thoughts of our own countrymen in place of his.

“No, really” he said “Let’s go over” 

So they went over the road to the Police Station, explained that he had lost an Ichi-man at around 1.00am near the CITI Bank cash point.

Lo and behold the note was produced from beneath the counter, with the correct instance of its finding and a stern admonishment to look after ones money as ‘you worked hard for it’

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I could go on, but I’d only bore you and I realise I’m starting to ramble.

Yes there is crime in Japan, we’ve all seen Beat Takashi’s Yakuza films. But that is ‘Organised Crime’ and is mainly about ‘Protection Rackets’ ‘Gambling’ etc.

But crimes against the person are almost unheard of and when they happen they make the National News as ours barely make the News Shopper

As the days go on, if the situation worsens there may be examples of what we would call ‘looting’ in devastated areas but I can assure it you it would be for essentials to stay alive. Not White Goods and DVD players and they will probably leave money or their name and address afterwards.

Yet to me, Japan still remains the only country in the world where the vending machine below can sit unmolested on the pavement all night and it pretty much sums up why there is no looting in Japan.

For those times when the Off-Licence is CLOSED and you don’t want to go back to the bar, Ladies and Gentlemen

The Beer Vending Machine

click for larger
(Yes that is a 1 litre can in the top left and yes that is a street ashtray
and an advertisement for cigarettes)

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