Japan has about the same Gini coefficient as Germany and UK. Japan is significantly safer than Germany or the UK. It’s cultural why they are like that. I can leave my wallet in a crowded fast food restaurant in Tokyo and come back several hours later and it will still be there. Try that in Berlin or London and your wallet is gone the moment you turn around. Sure the lower inequality explains why Japan is not as dangerous as South Africa. But that it’s safer than economically comparable nations all comes down to their culture and social upbringing.