For whatever reason, Japan has not tested a lot of people
There may be people who have died, without knowing they had the Coronavirus, and not been recorded
They had been through the SARS in previous years, and probably knew about hygiene
They wear masks, if/when they get the sniffles, or when they are in crowds
They usually do what they are told, by the authorities
The above is only my opinion, after surfing the net, looking for Coronavirus stories
I will assume, that England had many more cases, for the following reasons
They were slow to lockdown
They do not usually do as they are told, by the authorities
There is more to the figures than just figures!!!
Folks will be analysing the data for years. Besides how countries are recording numbers there is also the matter of who to believe.
My theory is that there is a social factor at work. Hugging and kissing is accepted in some countries. Some Asian countries wear masks as a normal piece of clothing. Some countries live in very dense proximity in high rise buildings etc etc etc.
So don't fall for using figures without the knowledge of what those figures really mean.