Why is there so much white-collar crime in Japan?

Probably because it pays in terms of potential rewards if it goes undetected verses potential punishment if you are caught. A great illustration of this is the Aneha case that just wrapped up in the Tokyo District Court.

First some background:
Architect Hidetsugu Aneha confessed to and was charged with fabricating earthquake-resistance data on six condominiums and hotels since 1996 (out of a total off 99 structures also of questionable design), in order to cut costs and reduce construction time. He also allowed others to use his name to sign off on other substandard designs and lied under oath to government investigators.

The result was that buildings were constructed with fewer than the legally required number of steel reinforcement rods. Buildings constructed with fewer rods are at risk of collapsing in an earthquake with an intensity of upper 5 on the Japanese intensity.

People who live in Aneha condos have had to move out, losing the money they used to purchase their homes. His hotels have been shuttered.

The judge’s evaluation:

• Called the crime “vicious” and “unprecedented,” and one that endangered many lives.
• Said that Aneha needs to “grasp the gravity of the crimes he committed.”
• Said that Aneha was at the center of “one of the biggest scandals in the history of Japan’s construction industry.”

The sentence:
Five years in prison and a 1.8 million yen fine.

Others in the scandal who have been found guilty all have been slapped on the wrists with suspended sentences.