Hi - I have a japanese import PSP which was a lot cheaper and the PSP is region free for games, but Japanese & england are region 2 for UMD movies so theres no difference, BUT the Japanese PSP's are known for having better screens as I have compared mine to someone I know who has the english psp. The english PSP has a screnn which reflects rainbow colours in the light, where as the japanese screen doesnt reflect colour and is a lot brighter.
They are really sturdy and I doubt very much it will smash if you dropped it - they're excellent quality.