You can better yourself by observing others, as a Japanese saying goes, and this may well describe how Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda was feeling when he hurried home after attending only half of the two-day summit of the Group of 20 major economies in Mexico.
Even as he joined the call for Europe to do everything necessary to contain its deepening sovereign debt and banking crisis, Noda told his G-20 colleagues that Tokyo continues its own battle to restore Japan's fiscal health, the worst among major developed countries — even worse than some troubled eurozone members.
His short stay in Los Cabos reflected the stark reality facing Noda and his government in the domestic political arena, where he is making a final push to increase the consumption tax despite criticism even from within his own party.