Japanese commentators concede that the bribery revelations of the last few months clearly gave Washington the ammunition it needed.

Some Japanese commentators said tonight that he might not even survive much beyond the summit conference of major industrial democracies scheduled for early June in Venice.

Napier goes on to point out that many Japanese commentators refer to anime with the term mukokuseki, meaning "stateless".

Japanese commentators interpreted the disaster as an act of divine punishment to admonish the Japanese people for their self-centered, immoral, and extravagant lifestyles.

Japanese commentators have happily adopted the American jargon of "Strike one, ball two," "home run," and "pinch hit. "

For many Japanese commentators, Mr. Ishiba's statement was meant to draw attention to the fact that Japan in reality has no strike ability.

Though Japanese commentators professed to be shocked by the evidence, prosecutors have apparently been less impressed.

This may indeed stunt individuality, as many Japanese commentators believe, and it may exert pressure on kids who stick out.

By the third or fourth day after the quake, Japanese commentators were asking those questions in a spirit of optimism and constructiveness.

The nerdy Japanese commentators seemed to spend all their air time pushing toy soldiers and tanks around a diorama of the Middle East.