by Tyler_JC » Sun 25 May 2008, 21:09:09
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ainan', 'I') believe Japan is one of the only country's in the world to hold large stockpiles of food. Clearly they are more intelligent than the west.
Japan imports the overwhelming majority of its resources. Japan is a tiny, densely populated mountainous country with few domestic resources.
The result? Japan is vulnerable to a shutdown of global trade.
To safeguard its population, the Japanese government built a stockpile of food, fuel, and other vital resources.
Most of the Western countries are major food exporters. (Especially France, Canada, Australia, the United States, and the Netherlands)
A slowdown of global trade would be harmful but not automatically a precursor to mass starvation.
The "stockpiles" of the West are export surpluses.
Would Saudi Arabia need a stockpile of crude oil or China need a stockpile of children's toys and VCRs?