Multiple detectives investigating a bicycle theft is absurd. This has positively nothing to do with the broken window theory, but instead is exactly what the article talks about which is an overstaffed police force with little to do.
And it doesn't have little to do because Japan is such a cultural gem. It has little to do because Japan is facing a population implosion as the population ages with few children. Youth and young adults are, unsurprisingly, responsible for most crime, and when you have few in that demographic crime drops. No surprise.
[1] It's interesting to think about this in the context of a Japanese person in, say, Canada. They meet with a ridiculous scenario with a ridiculous response, and when vocalizing to a coworker how ridiculous it is they are told that they are a smug foreigner and need to shut the hell up. That would be simply outrageous, and is the sort of thing the worst sort of racist would resort to.
Right now, property crime reports just blatantly go into the void in US cities.
Most difference between crime in Norway and Japan is more likely down to Norway having much larger immigrant population from poorer countries.
I think your attitude easily ends up excusing police states. Japanese justice system is highly questionable. Almost nobody ever gets acquitted in the justice system, and prison is rather harsh. Norway gets away with low crime despite (or because of) probably the worlds most liberal prison system.
Don't get me wrong. I admire a lot about Japan, but I think you easily fall into the trap of thinking that everything great about Japan is directly the result of something bad.
I would argue more important factor causing law crime in Japan is much the same as in Nordic countries. Low levels of inequality. How people are socialized. Stricter gun laws.
And let us not forget that the average age is high in Japan. Older people commit a lot less crime.
Norway was has a murder rate 2.5x that of Japan[1]. Norway is considerably less safe than Japan, albeit still very safe by global standards.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intention...
https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2017/06/sex-crimes-japan-go-u...
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/07/31/national/crime-...
Japan also has a huge issue with people admitting to crimes they did not commit. https://www.france24.com/en/20181207-japan-justice-99-system...
@nosuchuser2 said,
"Japan's official murder rate is widely believed to be significantly underreported"
in response to someone noting that Norway's murder rate is 2.5x Japan's murder rate.
None of the articles you linked to even mentions an elevated or misreported murder rate. Instead you linked to articles suggesting that sex crimes are underreported. Sex crimes are actually underreported in just about every industrialized country, US included.
Given that the official murder statistics are what they are, citation is still required
Japan has actually been seeing a rise in crime among the elderly population lately: https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/11/22/500040363/...
In a country of literal ninjas and samurais, this is the most inconsequential of all the reasons you gave.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309755075_Does_Gun_...
I looked very briefly at that study. It compares US cities to other US cities using data from 1990. I would be more interested in how the US stacks up against other countries that don't have to act within the limitations of the Second Amendment. More recent data would probably be valuable as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory#Criticis...
I really love how you condensed it well. This is how I always observed in the wild.
"The broken windows theory is a criminological theory that states that visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior, and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder, including serious crimes. The theory suggests that policing methods that target minor crimes such as vandalism, public drinking, and fare evasion help to create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes."
Edit: moreover, this is a well known thing that foreigners do: https://www.google.com/amp/s/soranews24.com/2017/08/16/pleas...
Doesn't seem like the best argument, because that isn't necessarily how the rule of law works. Taking abandon property isn't necessarily theft, even using a non-abandoned bike isn't necessarily theft but something like "unlawful usage", and if you don't intend to keep the object it is even less theft. It many countries it isn't a "minor crime" to leaving an abandoned bike with the police, but simply what you are supposed to do. But apparently Tokyo has a big problem with abandoned bikes [0]. You sentiment mostly just seems to confirm OPs suggestion that people should know their place.
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00444/tackling-tokyo%E...
I get your sentiment though. As a foreigner, tying to live here and have normal, fulfilling relationships takes a metric ton of work. In my experience, there's a bit of an endowment effect, where the coping mechanisms and language successes we pick up through the years get tied into our personal identities.
I've certainly gotten my jimmies ruffled by Outrageous Gaijin TM on many occasions, but I feel like there's a lot of room for mutual growth and 切磋琢磨ing through those interactions.
To flip things on their head a bit, mutual understanding and cooperation are held as socially high ideals here. I think most Japanese would agree those are better than dropping harsh judgement.
Anyway, if you just made a careless post after a stressful day or something, then let me buy you a beer (or tea, if you prefer). My email is in my profile.
The reason that even minor crimes (stealing a bicycle) are taken seriously is that letting small things slide is the beginning of an erosion of the rule of law. You should probably learn your lesson and leave things that aren’t yours alone. Furthermore, the fact that you think your political connections got you off the hook tells us everything we need to know about your exceptionalist outlook.
People like you make the police skeptical of foreigners like myself who bother to learn and play by the rules out of respect for our host country.