G7 finance ministers and central bankers agreed to a coordinated intervention to stem the yen's strength. The decision to proceed in a coordinated fashion was couched in moral terms as these concerned leaders do not want Japan to have to deal with currency issues at a time when it needs to have all of its energy focused on solving the nuclear crisis at Fukushima, helping its displaced citizens, and repairing the nation's infrastructure after the Tohoku Pacific earthquake and tsunami.

It makes one wonder, though: where was the coordinated intervention from the G7 for Indonesia in 2004 after the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami killed over 230,000 people and where was the coordinated intervention for Haiti in 2010 after an earthquake there killed more than 300,000 people?

In those instances, the coordinated intervention arrived courtesy of aid donations from people around the world. Many of the G7 leaders are likely on the list of donors, but they were certainly not on board officially with a coordinated intervention like they are with Japan because there was no need to be.

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