The Foreign Ministry has been mired in an internal struggle between Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and senior ministry bureaucrats. The faceoff shows no signs of ending, although Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has issued a warning to both Mrs. Tanaka and Vice Foreign Minister Yutaka Kawashima. Mrs. Tanaka has even threatened to take legal action against those officials whom she blames for leaking sensitive diplomatic information in an attempt to damage her reputation.

Mr. Shunji Yanai, the Japanese ambassador to Washington, has expressed serious concern about the feuding, calling it an "abnormal situation." It is indeed unusual for a top ministry bureaucrat to publicly criticize his boss, the foreign minister, for whatever reason. The Japanese people -- and perhaps much of the world community -- are dismayed by this "family quarrel" within the Foreign Ministry. The dispute has already badly hurt Japan's international reputation. It must be settled quickly.

It all started with discord between Mrs. Tanaka and her top subordinates over the handling of an embezzlement scandal involving a secret diplomatic fund. Much of the money was allegedly used for wining and dining by ministry mandarins themselves. The ministry took disciplinary actions against 16 officials, but not those at the top. The immensely popular foreign minister -- who took office after those measures were unveiled -- tried to take tougher measures. But she met fierce resistance from ranking officials, who insisted that no further action was needed because the case had already been closed.

The incident is part of the larger picture of corruption in government. In the ministry's case, it is also alleged that diplomatic personnel abroad have routinely used expense accounts for personal expenditures. But a full internal investigation has never been conducted -- for obvious reasons. The ministry has come under attack from an angry public for mismanaging the fund, yet top officials do not seem to be taking the criticism seriously. Instead, they seem to be trying to block Mrs. Tanaka's attempt to shake up the foreign service. By so doing, they are discrediting themselves because the public does not believe that no stone has been left unturned.

News leaks have further strained the relationship between Mrs. Tanaka and the bureaucrats. In separate talks with her counterparts from China, Italy, Australia and Germany, the outspoken foreign minister reportedly made critical remarks on weighty issues such as the Japan-U.S. security alliance and the U.S. missile-defense plan. No doubt she made those remarks in the belief that they would be kept off the record. The fact that they were leaked behind her back strongly suggests a deliberate intent to embarrass her.

However, Mrs. Tanaka is not above criticism. For one thing, the blunt manner in which she has been dealing with senior bureaucrats -- particularly her often abrasive language and attitude -- must have deeply wounded the pride of the professional diplomats. Yet just a month and a half into the job, she is still learning the ropes. So it is probably unfair to ask at this stage whether she is fit to serve as the nation's chief diplomat.

The question now is whether she really departed from basic government policies in her official talks with her foreign counterparts. If she did, she broke the code of conduct governing Cabinet members. Mrs. Tanaka herself has explained that the remarks attributed to her -- including the criticisms of the security pact and missile defense -- are within the bounds of the government's stated positions. However, she has refused to disclose the details, citing the rule of diplomatic confidentiality. In order to set the record straight, she would do well to make public exactly what she said.

Meanwhile, the behind-the-scenes power struggle in the Liberal Democratic Party is adding an element of complexity to the tug of war between Mrs. Tanaka and the bureaucrats. Some members of the party's old guard, which is wary of Mr. Koizumi's bold push for reform, are calling for the new foreign minister's resignation. Their motive is transparent: discrediting Mrs. Tanaka, the star of the Koizumi administration, and thereby tarnishing its popular image. That kind of political trick won't fly. It will boomerang on the LDP and cost it votes in July's Upper House election.

Nevertheless the Foreign Ministry, from Mrs. Tanaka on down, must move quickly to put its house in order. The continuing wrangling in the foreign office could paralyze Japanese diplomacy. The prevailing public perception is that the ministry is putting its internal discord before the national interest. It must end the dispute promptly and restore public confidence in the foreign service.