Watch out for those 'sexy women'

Seems the long withheld story about the suicide of a Japanese consular diplomat in Shanghai in May 2004 has legs. No surprise there since it seems to involve all the right ingredients -- a Chinese mistress and blackmail threats by Chinese officials pressing the diplomat for classified information. Until now, the official position on both sides was that the diplomat's death was due to an "unspecified diplomatic incident," though Japan maintained that the suicide was still China's fault. Late last week, the Japanese Foreign Ministry changed its tune, confirming it believed the sordid story of sex, espionage and blackmail was behind the diplomat's suicide. The Foreign Ministry also shared details of the suicide note the diplomat left, specifically highlighting China's use of "honey traps":

"They approached him, offering to arrange a sexy woman for him," Aso said in a speech. "Then he was blackmailed to give away secret codes for classified information. It is clear from a suicide note he left."

The diplomat was asked to provide numbers needed to decipher secret codes but chose to kill himself instead because he could not sell out his country, Aso said.

Shanghaiist knows we shouldn't laugh at a situation that involves a suicide and alleged blackmail. But it's difficult to keep a straight face when gems like these come spouting from official mouth pieces:

"Most diplomats aren't so good looking (and) they should be trained to be cautious when they're approached by women," Aso said.

Of course, China also issued an official statement of protest against the suggestion that the Japanese diplomat's suicide was the result of any "sexy woman" operations sanctioned by the government. China had already lashed out against the "vile" allegations that it was responsible for the "unspecified diplomatic incident" that had caused the diplomat's suicide.