Why is there no looting in Japan?

tiger55

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/100079703/why-is-there-no-looting-in-japan/

http://nation.foxnews.com/culture/2011/03/14/why-there-no-looting-japan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp-dJ1k_DbI

KeithM89_old

I think theyre too busy trying to survive than rob some shops.

Spunge

African-americans

Mod note, user banned for this remark

df1985

Doesnt Japan have a very low crime rate in general?? Impression I always got was that theyre polite well behaved people.

Rented Mule

Everything is radioactive !!

tiger55

df1985 wrote: »

Doesnt Japan have a very low crime rate in general?? Impression I always got was that theyre polite well behaved people.

Until they get into a war that is. Look at WW2.:eek:

ScumLord

Because nobody has any need for a load of rubble and broken stuff I'd assume.

Blatter

Because their people aren't dicks.

major bill

prob cos the japanease are one of the only races left with a bit of respect!!!

karlog

It's part of their culture. Doing crime is seen as bringing shame to your family in Japan.

How Soon Is Now

Id say its down to the fact people are in very bad situation and robbing from there fella citizens is the last thing on there mind it might be of short term benfit to them but of long term damage to there country.

That and a whole bunch of other stuff im not aloud say :pac:

fontanalis

Ask Kanye West!

starbelgrade

Why No Looting.

Isn't he a second cousin of How Mi No Rob Yu?

Rented Mule

Rented Mule wrote: »

Everything is radioactive !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3973tfsllqw

deathrider

Because all the stuff that would be worth looting would now be all soggy and yucky.

southsiderosie

Spunge wrote: »

African-americans

Yes, it's "looting" when black people did it after Hurricane Katrina, but when white kids took food and supplies from abandoned shops, it was "finding". :rolleyes:

who what when

Because they're a more civilised nationality

pragmatic1

Honour is huge in their society. We would do well to take a leaf out of their book.

liah

There probably is some amount, but the Japanese are notorious for trying to uphold reputation and wouldn't necessarily report on it as they see it as shameful and tend to take a 'brush it under the carpet til it goes away' approach.

There's also the fact that people are probably too devastated from their losses (both personal and national) and the destruction to even consider bothering to loot.

starbelgrade

pragmatic1 wrote: »

Honour is huge in their society. We would do well to take a leaf out of their book.

I don't think nicking pages out of their books would be very honourable of us, considering the mess they are in at the minute.

dillo2k10

There is no looting as the places that are destroyed as there is nothing to loot and in the large city's they cant loot, life is going on as "normal". Also I think that Japan has a low crime rate anyhow, they don't think of doing things like that and they are being provided with everything they need (I think)

fontanalis

pragmatic1 wrote: »

Honour is huge in their society. We would do well to take a leaf out of their book.

It's a strange one; they treated POW's in World War 2 almost better when they were dead than when they were alive.

RasTa

df1985 wrote: »

Doesnt Japan have a very low crime rate in general?? Impression I always got was that theyre polite well behaved people.

Aye, few lads I met when traveling, one was saying that he had to spend 14 days in jail because he got caught smoking a joint.

Spunge

RasTa wrote: »

Aye, few lads I met when traveling, one was saying that he had to spend 14 days in jail because he got caught smoking a joint.

Most countries in Asia take drugs very seriously, even weed.

tiger55

southsiderosie wrote: »

Yes, it's "looting" when black people did it after Hurricane Katrina, but when white kids took food and supplies from abandoned shops, it was "finding". :rolleyes:

There is difference between bread and a crate of beer;)

Latchy

tiger55 wrote: »

Until they get into a war that is. Look at WW2.:eek:

True , the treatment of allied prisoner and the Nanking massacre are a scar on that countrys history but they are no longer an imperialistic culture with an Emperor

major bill wrote: »

prob cos the japanease are one of the only races left with a bit of respect!!!

Compared to many westerners They are very humble .But every major race of many millions will have some flaw which might only show it's face during periods of immense stress or war

tiger55

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuwlqeNRElI

daithiordave

yes but to them at the time someone who surrendered had no honour, you fought to the death, so prisoners were considered less then human.

There is a lot less petty crime over there, not saying there isnt any crime there, but you can walk the streets at night and never feel threatened.

gargleblaster

this thread made me think of a post in the one about the tsunami, in which someone mentioned a possibility of reports of crime being suppressed due to the tradition of saving face. if this has any bearing in reality, it might have something to do with there being no reports of looting.

maybe their emergency services are so efficient that they're managing to get food and potable water to all the people who have been cut off from them as a result of this disaster. if so, then i would hazard a guess that that's probably got something to do with it.

there might also be some correlation to poverty rates. poverty and crime do seem to go hand in hand.

RichieC

southsiderosie wrote: »

Yes, it's "looting" when black people did it after Hurricane Katrina, but when white kids took food and supplies from abandoned shops, it was "finding". :rolleyes:

Sickens me..

Feeona

Japan can be a weird place sometimes. The Japanese wouldn't loot because it would bring shame on their family (although that's understandable enough). They wouldn't pick money up off the floor in case someone sees them (finders keepers doesn't hold water in Japan). A few years back, a Japanese civilian was taken hostage in Iraq. The Japanese governement refused to bring him home (leaving it to the family to organise) because he had brought shame on the country by doing something so stupid as to be in a dangerous country. I lived in a city in Japan for a while where there were two train companies. People committed suicide on only one of the company lines, the reason being that the other train line charged the family for the clean up/delay the suicide would cause.

A culture that can seem harsh, but society in Japan would break down if they didn't strictly adhere to their social rules.

Morlar

I have heard from people who are there who report that despite shopfronts being exposed people there are not looting. You can dismiss that as anecodotal or untrue if you want. I am not convinced by the argument that because nothing is being reported therefore suppressed looting is going on.

I think the reasons would be to do with a sense of national pride & civic duty. People using a disaster as an excuse for looting TV's and hifi's just does not seem to be a big part of their mentality.

major bill

southsiderosie wrote: »

Yes, it's "looting" when black people did it after Hurricane Katrina, but when white kids took food and supplies from abandoned shops, it was "finding". :rolleyes:

are they not from two differant news agencys??

HenryChinaski

Firstly there is literally nothing left to loot in most places.

Secondly, there's no petty crime in Japan at all. It's either organised crime; gambling, extortion, prostitution, protection rackets, etc. Or else it's like domestic type sh*t where people freak out and murder family members or work colleagues.

Japanese people would never steal it'd be considered the most shameful thing you could ever do it's simply not in their psyche. In fact if you went into a bar and left your wallet on a stool and it got stolen you could be nearly guaranteed it was a foreigner.

Redlion

df1985 wrote: »

Doesnt Japan have a very low crime rate in general?? Impression I always got was that theyre polite well behaved people.

Yep, due to their aging population.

deathrider

tiger55 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuwlqeNRElI

He's not japanese :pac:

Biggins

HenryChinaski wrote: »

Firstly there is literally nothing left to loot in most places.

Secondly, there's no petty crime in Japan at all. It's either organised crime; gambling, extortion, prostitution, protection rackets, etc. Or else it's like domestic type sh*t where people freak out and murder family members or work colleagues.

Japanese people would never steal it'd be considered the most shameful thing you could ever do it's simply not in their psyche. In fact if you went into a bar and left your wallet on a stool and it got stolen you could be nearly guaranteed it was a foreigner.

That exactly about sums it up nicely in total.

Guy:Incognito

karlog wrote: »

It's part of their culture. Doing crime is seen as bringing shame to your family in Japan.

The Triads must be very dissappointed with themsleves.

Hazys

tiger55 wrote: »

There is difference between bread and a crate of beer;)

Its Pepsi Max he's holding

heyheyhey1982

i can understand people looting for food in desperation. But some of the items that where looted in New orleans was nuts, computers and tvs etc... thats where its just pure scum bags using it as an excuse to rob.

The population of New orleans who didnt leave with the Hurricane were uneducated african Americans, Looting would be considered a past time.

When 9-11 happened the people of New York didnt loot.

Haiti is a Sh1t hole,..... looting

The day of the Orange parade in dublin a few years back we had looting, they broke into footlocker on O'connell st and robbed 28 left feet runners. there was footage of idiots tearing shutter off shops and running out with odd runners.

southsiderosie

major bill wrote: »

are they not from two differant news agencys??

The point is, something like looting shouldn't be subjective: either people are looting, or people are foraging for food in an area that has been completely abandoned by every level of government. However, as with so much in the US, when black people do something wrong, it's seen as part of their pathological culture, whereas when white people do something wrong, it is often portrayed by the media as something that is due to systemic or institutional problems in American society, rather than something inherent to white people.

Hurricane Katrina, both in terms of the government's response (in particular state and local government) and the media coverage of it, was an absolute disgrace. If there is any positive aspect of the Japanese situation, it's the fact that they have a very organized government which believes in planning for this kind of thing. Unfortunately, I don't think that any level of planning can prepare a government to respond to a disaster on this scale, but at least they are admitting as much and coordinating with other countries. And without the regulations they had in place, it likely would have been much, much worse.

Saila

Rented Mule wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3973tfsllqw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPBbMbKSZrQ

:cool:

major bill

southsiderosie wrote: »

The point is, something like looting shouldn't be subjective: either people are looting, or people are foraging for food in an area that has been completely abandoned by every level of government. However, as with so much in the US, when black people do something wrong, it's seen as part of their pathological culture, whereas when white people do something wrong, it is often portrayed by the media as something that is due to systemic or institutional problems in American society, rather than something inherent to white people.

Hurricane Katrina, both in terms of the government's response (in particular state and local government) and the media coverage of it, was an absolute disgrace. If there is any positive aspect of the Japanese situation, it's the fact that they have a very organized government which believes in planning for this kind of thing. Unfortunately, I don't think that any level of planning can prepare a government to respond to a disaster on this scale, but at least they are admitting as much and coordinating with other countries. And without the regulations they had in place, it likely would have been much, much worse.

if its two differant news agencys then how can you be sure that the same ''finding'' tag would not have been used on the black man like it was used on the white people?. You are assuming thats its good aul racism!!!

JONJO THE MISER

karlog wrote: »

It's part of their culture. Doing crime is seen as bringing shame to your family in Japan.

Its part of a lot of people's families culture here in Ireland as well except for the scum and skangers.

JupiterKid

Theft and looting is rare in Japan because as others here pointed out, Japanese society has a very low crime rate and it is seen as deeply shameful and dishonourable to steal. Japan is a very well-ordered society with very little crime, virtually no litter and practically no social unrest.

We could use some of that attitude here in Ireland IMO.

BTW the Japanese mafia is known as the Yakusa - the Triads are Chinese.

Manic Moran

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

The Triads must be very dissappointed with themsleves.

Aren't they Chinese? Don't you mean the Yakuza?

And even at that, they have some form of honour rules. They'll engage in illegal activity, but they won't abuse society in time of distress.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE2DF1E31F931A15752C0A963958260

TOKYO, Jan. 21— Already harshly criticized for confusion in its earthquake relief effort in Kobe, the Government is now suffering the embarrassment of reports that Japan's largest organized crime group is running a big operation to provide food and supplies to quake victims.

For the fourth straight day, the Yamaguchi-gumi, a feared group of gangsters based in Kobe, handed out food, water and diapers today to people in its devastated neighborhood. In Japan, organized crime groups operate largely in the open, and the operation, which is said to be more efficient than the Government's, has been a source of pride for the gangsters.

<snip>

He said the group was using motor scooters, boats and even a helicopter to move precious goods into and around the city, which has been nearly paralyzed by the quake damage and dangerously clogged roadways.

In the difficult years after World War II, the yakuza, as gangsters are known here, developed a reputation as street toughs with hearts, men who plied illegal trades but lent a hand to weaker neighbors. The police admit that they, too, relied on the yakuza to check random street violence and to control left-wing groups.

NTM

KeithAFC

The japanese have amazing dignity. A bit like English people. Amazing dignity. I really hope they can rebuild and save as many people as possible.

southsiderosie

major bill wrote: »

if its two differant news agencys then how can you be sure that the same ''finding'' tag would not have been used on the black man like it was used on the white people?. You are assuming thats its good aul racism!!!

The photos involved show people wading through water with a garbage bag full of food. One was classified as looting. One was classified as finding. Two different interpretations of the same situation, with the only difference being race. I think crying racism is an absolutely appropriate response in this case, especially when set against the backdrop of the wider Katrina coverage.

Chris P. Bacon

It was the same in Thailand after the 2002 Tsunami,Asian countries have a lot more pride in there nation and culture,unlike a lot of Western ones.

Morlar

KeithAFC wrote: »

The japanese have amazing dignity. A bit like English people. Amazing dignity.

Wow.

liah

KeithAFC wrote: »

The japanese have amazing dignity. A bit like English people. Amazing dignity.

Sometimes I wonder if you do it on purpose..