I'm gonna give my opinion since I typed it and I feel like it, then the discussion can go on or end regarding Japan. Okay. I like helping people, so does the country I reside in and many many other people who live here. If I saw someone to whom I owed $5000 laying on the street bleeding out, I wouldn't walk away. If their family was all down with them, I would rush to help. If their house had blown up, I'd run. If their car was on fire and near the point of explosion, if they had several gas tanks ready to go boom, if they were prepared for the disaster as well as they could have been and had no way of preventing it... Japan is the most well-prepared nation on Earth regarding earthquakes. And while they may own much of our debt, a tsunami washed away many of their people, there were great fires burning, and this advance country has nuclear power plants causing huge problems with lasting effects. They could be better off money and technology wise, but if much of your family gets killed or hurt won't you want someone to help you out? Would you care if they were people who owed you money? I wouldn't. I'd want help.