Trevor Leggett was head of the Japanese Department of the BBC and this  is a part of one of his broadcasts

ZUBARI: 6th DEC 1987

Hullo listeners! Recently we have had a great fire on an underground station, which killed people and injured many others.
In the Press, there was great praise for the heroism of the police and fire-men, who went down again and again into the blazing underground tunnels.
Their calm courage helped to prevent a panic; there was no panic among the hundreds of trapped passengers; they helped each other.
The exceptional bravery of some police and firemen was thought to be worthy of a decoration.
I have not noticed this after some Japanese disaster, in which officials have shown great heroism. The Japanese press seems to think that it is their job to be heroes.
The news was reported on the radio that hundreds of injured had been taken to a nearby hospital.
Many householders living near the hospital telephoned to the hospital to offer rooms, free of charge, to relatives of victims. They knew that the relatives would want to stay nearby, and would not be able to find hotels.
My impression is, that in Japan many people would think: ‘It has nothing to do with us. Let the authorities provide accommodation, if it is needed.’
On the other hand, there are cases where we foreigners find unexpected co-operation and help in Japan. In Europe, officials often follow rules exactly.
Suppose I go to a local authority office with a simple request, but the official who deals with such business has been called away for fifteen minutes.
In Britain, one of the other officials just tells me this, and says: ‘Please sit there and wait, or else come back.’ But in such cases in Japan, the others try to help in some way, though it is not their job. Sometimes they can find and hand over the necessary form.
We would like to give them a decoration.

© Trevor Leggett