The disagreement between the foreign ministries of Japan and China over the attempted defection by five North Koreans at the Japanese consulate in Shenyang was intensified by a comment made early on by LDP Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda. During a press conference, Fukuda looked at the assembled scribblers and said, without the least bit of irony, "Who are you going to believe, the Chinese or your own government?"

The reporters' failure to burst out laughing can be looked upon as either admirable restraint or a lost opportunity. Or maybe something else. On TBS's news variety show "Broadcaster," film critic Sachiko Watanabe commented that the remark filled her with "sadness." Considering the reputation the Foreign Ministry presently enjoys, owing to scandals ranging from misappropriated funds to pimping for Muneo Suzuki, "sad" seems a weak response to the patronizing and undiplomatic remark.

Fukuda, a political prince and notorious botchan (spoiled rich kid), is considered by many pundits to be the true leader of Japan at the moment. The fact that he can utter such a statement with a straight face proves just how out of touch the country's leadership is. For its part, the media feels safe revealing the Foreign Ministry's lack of diplomatic common sense, but the he-said-she-said coverage of the Japan-China contretemps has become redundant and boring. More importantly, it has deflected attention away from the main issue, which is the tens of thousands of North Koreans living illegally in China.