On a roadtrip a few years ago I was struck by the design of a row of vending machines at a rest stop: entirely walled off / caged off by a solid metal security mesh, with small holes to just barely let people operate them. Very much like this picture: https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/NudVpPKiq1AsWL1CSAa_... So I agree crime and theft is a big factor. But it's not enough of an explanation, as other high-trust societies (and even more parts of the US not that long ago) don't or didn't emulate various Japanese aspects, and even in Japan there are various "why do they do things this way" aspects that would make most sense in a low-trust or corrupt society. Some of them can be traced to being an over-reaction, like the lack of public trash cans in Tokyo. Increasingly I think the real answer to these "why can't place x have this unique thing Japan has?" sorts of questions is "because it's not Japan" -- you need the whole collection of aspects that only came about via Japan's unique history, you can't do it by just capturing a few aspects like their low crime state. It's an unhelpful answer, but at the same time suggests maybe people should look for ways to do something better, not emulative. (As much as I find the vending machines everywhere in Japan very cool, I don't particularly want them.)