Media person of the year: Kim Jong Il

The world press is of two minds about the North Korean dictator. On the one hand, he's a spoiled kid who revels in self-aggrandizement and plays at being a cartoon villain because it's the kind of persona he understands. This view implies that North Korea's political-military complex operates by bureaucratic inertia. On the other hand, some commentators feel Kim is a shrewd player who knows how to manipulate everyone's fears to his own advantage; which means he'll never end up in a spider hole like Saddam Hussein.

The Japanese media accept both views, even if they're contradictory. The former is taken up by the tabloid press and the wide shows, which enjoy a good giggle over Pyongyang's mass demonstrations, the bijo gundan (army of beautiful girls) cheerleading squad, and satellite photos of Kim's theme park retreats. In this context, the tubby autocrat is only a notch above Michael Jackson in terms of extreme narcissism bordering on psychosis. However, serious news shows parrot the latter view and portray Kim as Japan's most dangerous nemesis, a man who could hold Tokyo hostage by playing the United States, which nominally protects Japan from North Korea, against South Korea and China. The effect on the general population is open to speculation, but whichever he is -- self-deluded clown or wily strategist -- you can be sure Kim Jong Il is watching himself on Japanese TV and enjoying every minute.