Eggs are routinely eaten raw in the US as well, and pose a negligible risk of salmonella.

Japan breeds special chickens for raw consumption; no matter how you raise them, ordinary chickens --- including those eaten cooked in Japan --- are nasty animals that will make you sick if not handled properly.

Even in ordinary chickens, intact whole muscles should be internally sterile (it's the skin that's the problem on a trimmed chicken), so I wonder if part of the deal with getting a license to serve chicken tartare or sashimi in Japan is that there's a scald step or something to clear the surface bacteria.

I don't, like, know, or anything. I just like talking about chicken.