The Japanese government is forcing their industry to modernize and become more efficient in exchange for helping them with a handout.

The government responded two weeks later with the $700 million aid package that promised to pay 90 percent of fuel price increases since December, but only to fishermen who found ways to reduce their consumption. The package also contained subsidies to help fishermen buy efficient new engines, like the hybrid.

You can read the whole article at the NY Times.

The US government gave out 20 times that amount to Detroit. I wish the US government had put some real teeth into their $14 billion handout!