In the tributes to the Japanese diplomats who were killed two weeks ago, few people mentioned what they were actually doing in Iraq. Katsuhiko Oku was, among other things, encouraging Iraqis to watch NHK's popular drama series, "Oshin," which is being broadcast on Iraqi TV. The show, originally aired in Japan in the early '80s, is about the fictional life of a poor Japanese woman. It has been very popular in other Middle East countries, especially Iran and Egypt, and has done much to promote Japan abroad as a country of hardworking people who persevere in the face of adversity.

The title character, born to a poor rural family and forced into servitude as a little girl, goes from one overwhelming hardship to another but her spirit remains intact. The Foreign Ministry apparently believes that "Oshin" is just the sort of tonic that the Iraqi people need in their present situation.

NHK probably thinks so, too, since inspirational programming is one of its missions. The public broadcaster admitted as much in a letter to Shukan Asahi two weeks ago in response to an article the magazine ran that was critical of NHK's flagship series, "Project X." In the letter, an NHK executive said that the purpose of the show is to instill "courage and the spirit of challenge" in Japanese people "who are losing their confidence in the prolonged economic slump."