The thing about this is that national poverty statistics don&#x27;t tell the whole story. They just offer a rough summary.<p>Things really are different in Japan, even in the impoverished parts. From the same Economist article: &quot;The country has long prided itself on ensuring that none of its citizens falls between the social cracks. Japan’s orderly, slum-free neighbourhoods seem to confirm that. Street crime, even in Kotobuki, is minuscule. Unemployment is below 4% ... &quot;<p>Compare that to the &quot;choice parts&quot; of downtown Los Angeles or the Tenderloin in SF. Despite many decades of fighting poverty, many many people still fall through the holes in the US social safety nets.<p>Japan also builds better cars.