Staff writer

The depictions of Japan in American newspapers have a dangerous tendency to cater to nationalist sentiments by portraying the country as backward, especially regarding women's rights, said Hideko Otake, president of the New York-based literary organization Zipangu.

The group, consisting of Japanese professionals living in the U.S., produces a bimonthly publication for Japanese-Americans, and recently released the 280-page bilingual book, "Warawareru Nihonjin (Japanese who are laughed at) -- Japan Made in U.S.A.," which criticizes what Otake claims is unbalanced coverage of Japan as a bizarre, if not amusing, society.