Impotence caption sparks diplomatic row

A German newspaper photograph of crown prince Naruhito of Japan has triggered a diplomatic spat between the two countries.

The picture -- in Friday's version of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung -- was accompanied by the caption "tote hose" which is German slang for "dead trousers", and implies impotence.

Although the newspaper is carrying an apology, a formal protest has been lodged with the German ambassador to Tokyo, Uwe Kaestner. Both he and the paper's Tokyo correspondent have been summoned to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. A German Foreign Ministry spokesman told the BBC that it would be regrettable if the affair harmed bilateral relations.

In Japan, the failure of the prince and his wife of six years, Crown Princess Masako, to produce an heir has been the subject of intense media speculation.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service