Looting in Japan: Why so little looting in Japan? The explanation is legal as much as cultural. - By Christopher Beam - Slate Magazine

Looting in Japan: Why so little looting in Japan? The explanation is legal as much as cultural. - By Christopher Beam - Slate Magazine: "For example, if you find an umbrella and turn it in to the cops, you get a finder's fee of 5 to 20 percent of its value if the owner picks it up. If they don't pick it up within six months, the finder gets to keep the umbrella. Japanese learn about this system from a young age, and a child's first trip to the nearest police station after finding a small coin, say, is a rite of passage that both children and police officers take seriously. At the same time, police enforce small crimes like petty theft, which contributes to an overall sense of security and order, along the lines of the 'broken windows' policy implemented in New York City in the 1990s. Failure to return a found wallet can result in hours of interrogation at best, and up to 10 years in prison at worst."

"[Organized crime makes] their money off extortion, prostitution, and drug trafficking. But they consider theft grounds for expulsion."