The future of Japan...

[Grandmaster Phoenix 26]

Total Japanese public debt currently sits at about 195% of their GDP. Japan cannot, without masive foreign aid, afford to rebuild their entire country. The earthquake and tsunami took out 3-5% of their country's means of production.

My prediction: Without vast, treasury draining amounts of aid, Japan's current government will cease to exist and remain in power by this time next year. Japan, however, boasts the third largest economy in the world, second if you don't count the EU as a country.

[Chase 390]

We'll help them. By "we" I mean the US and Japan's other allies. Japan does not have an army. They have no way to defend themselves, and the US benefits from their economy. Everyone all over the world is already donating a lot of money to the country.

[Ammonsa 308]

Can you give me some more info on their economic situation?

Also, Clark is right. I know Australia will be helping them, as well as pretty much every western nation.

We like Japan.

[Sahaqiel 1232]

I can't imagine Japan would suddenly just fall into anarchy.

Still, money seems to be messed up for everybody.

[Grandmaster Phoenix 26]

Can you give me some more info on their economic situation?

Also, Clark is right. I know Australia will be helping them, as well as pretty much every western nation.

We like Japan.

Well, it's pretty grim. 5 trillion or so GDP, and almost twice that in debt. That is going to be a difficult thing for the rest of the world to support, even for a short period of time.

[Otis McNutt 395]

I'm sure the US will lend a hand as best we can. I mean we rebuilt the country before (Last time totally our fault by the way). Things are tough right now, but they well get better.

[Cirt 612]

^^^^^^^

[Kimmy 0]

Somehow in Japan there is still like a really strong bureaucracy to get through. There have been rescue teams of people with specially trained dogs that haven't been able to get in, or were slowed because of customs policies about importing animals. If their network of red tape is still strong enough to govern during this, I think they will be at least ok.

[Max 10]

Stop pirating DS games you assholes. That's step one.

[Grandmaster Phoenix 26]

Japan also has a history of being a "global loner" and rejecting foreign aid as well.

[Jareddude 62]

I heard Nintendo and Sony both donated like 3.6 billion bucks each.

[Jo-Bengt 0]

I can't imagine a world without Japan. Where would gaming be right now?

Japan's the shit. We get a lot of influence in our media and different stuff from there. I just can't see it dropping off the map. Ever. It's great if everyone's helping them out.

[Grandmaster Phoenix 26]

I can't imagine a world without Japan. Where would gaming be right now?

Japan's the shit. We get a lot of influence in our media and different stuff from there. I just can't see it dropping off the map. Ever. It's great if everyone's helping them out.

The problem though is that its such a massive economy that took colossal damage. It will be very difficult to support it for even a short time, and the possibility of multiple nuclear meltdowns only makes it more challenging.

[Joshawott 7]

To say the odds against Japan are too high for them that they can't recover isn't giving them enough credit, I feel. They became one of the world's most powerful economies in 40 years after having two atomic bombs dropped on it and suffering a defeat in World War II that from the Japanese perspective may might as very well have been worse than total suicide. Of course it can't and won't happen overnight, but I'm sure it will happen and they'll emerge just as strong as they've ever been. You're forgetting that if there's a country that's more prepared for earthquakes than anyone else, it's Japan. The major brunt of the damage and death toll came from the tsunami and the nuclear power plants. Those are things Japan couldn't even have predicted would happen. As far as the tsunami was concerned, they're the most prepared for that as well. As high as the death toll is right now the alerts broadcast on TV and the sirens sounded saved more lives than what would have been lost otherwise.

Has anyone found it surprising that in light of how terrible of a situation the country is in right now, there hasn't been a single report of looting or violence, whereas during Hurricane Katrina or the earthquakes in Haiti those were at the forefront of news coverage everywhere? This has been the most cohesive Japan as a society has ever been in years. If a 9.0 earthquake, a 20 ft. high tsunami and a nuclear catastrophe couldn't bring them down, it makes you wonder just what it would take to do it.

[Grandmaster Phoenix 26]

Im on my phone, so I'm keeping this short...

To say the odds against Japan are too high for them that they can't recover isn't giving them enough credit, I feel. They became one of the world's most powerful economies in 40 years after having two atomic bombs dropped on it and suffering a defeat in World War II that from the Japanese perspective may might as very well have been worse than total suicide. Of course it can't and won't happen overnight, but I'm sure it will happen and they'll emerge just as strong as they've ever been. You're forgetting that if there's a country that's more prepared for earthquakes than anyone else, it's Japan. The major brunt of the damage and death toll came from the tsunami and the nuclear power plants. Those are things Japan couldn't even have predicted would happen. As far as the tsunami was concerned, they're the most prepared for that as well. As high as the death toll is right now the alerts broadcast on TV and the sirens sounded saved more lives than what would have been lost otherwise.

Has anyone found it surprising that in light of how terrible of a situation the country is in right now, there hasn't been a single report of looting or violence, whereas during Hurricane Katrina or the earthquakes in Haiti those were at the forefront of news coverage everywhere? This has been the most cohesive Japan as a society has ever been in years. If a 9.0 earthquake, a 20 ft. high tsunami and a nuclear catastrophe couldn't bring them down, it makes you wonder just what it would take to do it.

Money does not awe.

Godzilla

This is serious discussion, not /b/. This is not funny here.