Nice points, thir. I, for one, am not surprised by his observations. Scientists have been noting this for a very long time. One of the reasons the human race HAS survived, and become one of the predominant species on the planet, is our ability to cooperate, especially in times of stress. Society only works because of this ability, because in general we are inherently empathetic to others. While it's true you will see some anti-social behavior during these times, the actual percentages are relatively low. They only seem higher because modern media tends to show the worst sides of humanity rather than the best.

In Japan this innate tendency is enhanced by a far more polite (compared to Americans, for example) social system. But in almost any society, and in almost any disaster, you will always see more people offering helping hands than those adding to the misery. It's part of our genetic makeup.