>In the US, trading a very long commute for lower housing costs is widely understood and socially acceptable, I wonder why trading a tiny space for low rent and a short commute isn’t.

Because it's a race to the bottom. In EU society minimum standards of accommodation are socially acceptable. Allowing people to exploit the desperate to all possible extents is anathema to any humane values.

Japan is already a caricature of extremist employee exploitation. It's not something to emulate. I wonder why such a basic observation of the situation isn't obvious to people "in the US".