Widely known as a feverish operagoer, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may politely but disappointingly tell an exasperated Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, "Please wait patiently until the fat lady sings."
The two wouldn't be talking about an opera, of course, but about a free-trade agreement that over the past several years Santiago has repeatedly asked Tokyo to conclude.
The problem is that at this point in the story line, Japan is moving very cautiously toward forming FTAs.