I have read at least 3 different articles about the lack of looting in Japan in the aftermath of the 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami. Most of the articles speak of the Japanese culture that ranks honor and dignity above all else. But there is one major factor that those article writers have left out.....the fact that the Japanese have a huge dislike for anything "used."
About 10 years ago I met a co-worker who had just come back from a work assignment in Japan. She and her husband had to live in Japan for 9 months. They had a large apartment (by Japanese standards) and needed to furnish it. They were only in Japan for a week when they noticed that people were putting out furniture and other large items next to the roadside. When they asked a friend why this was going on, he remarked that it was just garbage pick up. They soon found out that the Japanese people don't believe in thrift stores or recycling. If the item is no longer needed, it is moved to the roadside pick up. This gave them a brilliant idea.
They decided to furnish their apartment with everyone's throwaways. The co-worker told me they found some fantastic pieces of furniture as well as some nice decor items. The Japanese probably thought that "those crazy Americans, have lost their minds" when they saw them rooting through all that stuff. They were told that other Japanese people would not even dare to touch such "garbage." Japan it seems, is a throw out society, not a recycle one.
That story would explain why Japan has no looting. Yes it is their culture but not one of honor or dignity but just the dislike of other people's used stuff.
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