As shown by the media frenzy sparked by lapses in decorum on the part of women like Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, the value of a person's sins increases exponentially in direct proportion to her fame. Women celebrities are subject to closer scrutiny for their mistakes than are men, who can still count on some dispensation thanks to the "boys will be boys" rule. And if you add motherhood to the equation, as in Spears' case, you earn even more opprobrium since your problems may harm innocents.

All these factors were in play during the Nov. 16 press conference where actress Yoshiko Mita apologized for the arrest of her son, Yuya Takahashi, for possession of 0.2 grams of amphetamines the day before. It was Takahashi's third drug-related arrest since 1998. On the surface, Mita has little in common with the above-mentioned celebrities. She is 66 years old and has never invited scandal with her own behavior or actions; and unlike Spears, who is apparently a bad drunk and an even worse driver, she did nothing to give the appearance of endangering her children. But Takahashi's problems have been directly blamed on Mita's presumed deficiencies as a parent; or, more precisely, as a mother, since no one has pinned responsibility for Takahashi's problems on his father, a former NHK director.

Maybe that's because Takahashi's father doesn't appear at these press conferences. Another factor that intensifies the media's attack is the willingness of their target to take the blows in person. Every time Takahashi has been arrested, Mita has called a press conference where she is subjected to condescending questions about her fitness as a mother. "What did you do wrong?" one reporter asked. "Should you have been more strict?" another queried, implying that Takahashi was spoiled.