The Other Ichirō and Entourage Come Home to Mild Disappointment

Media reports have been mildly critical of Mr. Ozawa’s three-day Beijing photo-op. The enormous size of his DPJ entourage at this point in the Diet schedule that the media has chosen to build up as critical juncture － has allowed journalists of various stripes to express disappointment. Moreover, Mr. Ozawa’s forbearance in keeping the East China Sea gas fields off the agenda, no doubt part of the quid pro quo demanded by the Chinese Communist Party for maintaining the interparty dialogue － the LDP should be justified in establishing official contact with Chinese opposition parties, such as there are in Taiwan and Tibet － has drawn opprobrium.

But the editorials have been notably silent, and his audiences with Chinese dignitaries have been pushed off the front pages. That must be a disappointment for Mr. Ozawa, and an even greater one for his handlers.