Yeah the unpunished petty crime is the reason, not the entire economy and every politician existing solely to scam everyone.

I have not lived in “the city,” meaning New York, so I cannot speak from direct experience.

I agree that trust is not maintained by moral sentiment alone. But the United States is already a society with relatively harsh punishment, and yet it still has a high crime rate.

So I do not think law enforcement is the whole explanation.

There are many faults with the Japanese justice system --but letting petty crime go doesn't tend to be one of them. I'm glad there are places on earth where they still believe in a structured society where actions have predictable consequences.