The atmosphere of intrigue has been as thick as homemade borscht in Tokyo's diplomatic quarter since police caught a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force officer passing confidential documents to the Russian Embassy naval attache in a posh local restaurant.
Ramifications from the case have already dimmed the luster of the achievements chalked up during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit here Sept. 3 to 5.
The official Moscow reaction was that the incident represented "a setup by parties aiming to slow improved Russo-Japanese ties."