http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/world/asia/22poverty.html
The poverty rate in Japan isn't that much lower than the US (15.7% vs. 17.1% according to the article). However, people below that line in Japan are somewhat unwilling to admit being in poverty.
It's not only people that are poor, but people that have a poor culture that loot. I can bet there were lots of poor people in Japan that didn't loot or steal from their neighbors.