Japan: Blackmail Led to Official's Suicide

AP/TBO ^ | February 18, 2006 | MARI YAMAGUCHI

[ncountylee]

TOKYO (AP) -- A Japanese consular official who committed suicide in Shanghai in 2004 was blackmailed by Chinese intelligence agents who set him up with a woman in an attempt to obtain classified information, Japan's foreign minister said Saturday.

The Foreign Ministry had previously said only the official's death was a result of an unspecified diplomatic incident with a Chinese intelligence official.

But Foreign Minister Taro Aso said on Saturday that the official committed suicide in May 2004 and left a note.

"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.

[ncountylee]

Why not just report the incident?

[RadioAstronomer]

Honor I guess.

[M-cubed]

it may be Tragic...but GD honorable!

[Threepwood]

They don't mention much other than he was offered a "sexy woman". What for? How old was she? I suspect buddy's sucide would be explained by answering those questions.

[Zeroisanumber]

Ah, the old honeypot. Don't get your, uh, hand caught in it.

[Ronin]

This was a more or less typical honey-trap op by the Chinese. The female operative was a hostess at a karaoke bar. She seduced him, although I am sure he was not unwillingly seduced...

Then, when they had him hooked and tried to reel him in, he was faced with the choice of betraying his country, confessing to his superiors and accept the loss of his job and shame to his family -- or handling it in the traditional Japanese fashion.

It's not the way Americans would handle it, but it's very Japanese.

[ridesthemiles]

The old "Honey Trap". Works all too often.

[WayneS]

He was careless.

And as the Godfather said, "...men cannot afford to be careless".

[etcetera]

He should've reported it and maybe the Nips could've made him a double. He would be a patriot and kept the honey...8-)

[Chode]

thank God it was Linda Tripp that the Monica blabbed to about blowingbilly instead of someone who could of used it to blackmail that POS into giving away National Security Secrets for FREE instead of getting PAID for them from then on...

[DWPittelli]

I thought the Japanese were more accepting of (at least male) sexual indiscretions. It is, after all, a country where men in business suits can openly read pornographic comic books on the subway. Even if he was married, you'd expect that to get to this level of suicidal "shame" you'd have to add another element.

Speculation of course, but if it was not an underage girl (as suggested previously) or some videotaped extreme fetish behaviour, I'd say it's even more likely the Chinese worked him up to the codes by starting with a very minor lapse or betrayal of trivial information, and proceeding one step at a time with slightly more serious betrayals. So his suicide would then be the result of a true dilemma (i.e., outrageous betrayal of Japan and the prospect of future betrayals, or open revelation of some smaller but still significant betrayals).

[river rat]

The largely military controlled Chinese Industrial Complex has benefited GREATLY over the years by using their young women and men to "sexually compromise" ignorant and horny foreigners with information in China and around the world..

China's money and women also bought them Guidance Technology for ICBMs --- through direct (Loral - after purchasing IBM's Federal Systems Division) and indirect (Impoverished Buddhist Monks) "contributions" to the charismatic, impeached and rapist President Clinton...

Semper Fi

[Ronin]

Quite possibly you're right. I don't think we will know, or need to know all the details. The only thing that really matters is that he decided it was serious enough for him to make the 'supreme apology'.