He is a much maligned creature at home and abroad. Some call him good for nothing; others say he is good for only one thing: bringing home the bacon ... and, in recent years, a most lean bacon it has become. On the weekends his primary pastime is gorone, to wit, snoozing in his clothes during daytime hours.

Someone once claimed that he speaks an average of 14 words to his wife in a 24-hour span. The first three are "beer," "bath" and "towel," respectively. The remaining 11 vary, depending upon whether he has been married to his wife for more than six months.

Well, you guessed it. He is Pater Japonicus — the Japanese father.