Last Friday people around the world awoke to heartbreaking images of destruction in Japan caused by a massive earthquake — the largest ever recorded to hit the island nation — and subsequent tsunami.

Since then, news out of the Land of the Rising Sun has contained few bright spots. Death tolls continue to rise, and the threat of a nuclear meltdown at one of the three nuclear power plants crippled by the disaster remains imminent.

While these images have certainly tugged at the heart strings of many, the result of the disaster may very well end up tugging at the global purse strings before all is said and done.

Japan’s is the third largest economy in the world. To use the catch phrase from the recent U.S. banking crisis, Japan, as a financial entity, is “too big to fail.” The collapse of such a world power would have ramifications well beyond the country’s coastline. In fact, the disaster has already taken a toll on stock markets the world over.

What’s more, the United States and its citizens are less capable than ever of sending financial relief to foreign countries. Given Japan’s outpouring of aid following Hurricane Katrina and its

status as the United States’ strongest ally in Asia, however, to not do so would seriously call into question this nation’s foreign policies.

Also, Japan derives, or at least it did derive, much of its power from nuclear energy, but with three of its plants down and the inevitable safety concerns that will arise when the current crisis subsides, that may change. Should the nation decide to go with a plan similar to that of the United States, it will further increase demand for oil and drive the price ever skyward.

Japan may lie on the other side of the world, and its people and customs may seem completely alien to the average American, but this disaster has demonstrated in the most vivid of ways the interconnectedness of all people.

There is a popular metaphor that says when a butterfly flaps its wings, it can have a drastic effect on the other side of the world. One can only imagine what the outcome will be when that butterfly takes the form of a 30-foot wall of water.