Exposé on commentator Kato Yoshikazu draws mixed reaction

With his sharp social criticism and incisive commentary on Sino-Japanese relations, Kato Yoshikazu has been a darling of the Chinese media since he arrived in 2003 not knowing a word of Chinese.

He was easily the best-known Japanese national on the mainland - a frequent columnist, talk-show guest and interview subject - before he left to study at Harvard University this year. His Sina Weibo account has nearly 1.6 million followers.

But Yoshikazu found himself cast in a new, less favourable light on both sides of the East China Sea last week after revelations that he lied about details of his biography rekindled discussion about academic fraud and résumé padding on the mainland.

The 27-year-old commentator was forced to apologise after a report in the Japanese tabloid Shukan Bunshun that found he had never received an offer letter from Tokyo University. Choosing China over the prestigious university was a key detail that had helped endear him to his Chinese followers.

The weekly also said it could find no evidence that someone by the name of Kato Yoshikazu participated in Japanese judo competitions, calling into question his claim that he once won fourth place at a national judo championship.

The report pointed out still more inconsistencies, such as Yoshikazu's claim in a Chinese book that the Japanese government sponsored him to study in China while telling Japanese publications that he was sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Yoshikazu - now a guest researcher at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government - quickly issued a public apology in which he admitted his claim about an offer letter from Tokyo University was "not the truth". He chalked up his blunders to immaturity and naivety.