Japanese economy claims Chinese economy unfairly passed them on double-yellow line road

Tokyo, Japan--Last week, it was reported that China's burgeoning economy had risen to number two in the world, finally surpassing the once roaring Japanese economy, the longtime holder of that penultimate position.

The archipelago nation, however, with 127 million people (and holding steady), 9 percent of the population of China, and nearly 25 times smaller in land area, is crying foul.

"It's not right," said Somi Takashumi, Japan's Minister of the Economy, during a rare display of emotion at a press conference on Monday. "China's economy has to play by the same rules that we all have to play by."

Takashumi, long critical and skeptical of fast growing economies with endless sources of cheap labor, especially in the region, claims to have learned of his country's fall to the third spot, listening, ironically, to TKO Radio, while driving to his downtown office complex on a winding, solid double-yellow line road just outside of Tokyo.

"The road was clearly marked with a double-yellow line, which indicates no passing. They use double-yellow lines for a reason, all over the world. It's not safe to pass other countries, er, vehicles because of a hill, curve or other view limiting conditions. It's not fair," complained Takashumi.

Seeing his country drop from the second spot could not have been easy for the Minister in his second, and, most likely, final ten-year term. The 84-year-old from Okinawa, who served as a pilot during World War II, studied economics at Hokkaido College and eventually earned a doctorate at Shikoku University, was instrumental in Japan's rise from the ashes to a prosperous technology-based economy.

"We make Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kawasaki, Mazda, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Lexus, Scion, Infiniti and Acura," said a sour Minister, scrambling to make his point. "I mean, what I'm trying to say is that the line was double-yellow. Does that not mean anything in today's society? It means no passing and it means this should be looked into."

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, neither holding the power to influence the world's economy size rankings, said they would investigate Japan's claim of driving in a no passing zone while learning of China's expanded economy.

"We don't usually do this kind of stuff, but we'll look into it. If, in fact, Minister Takashumi was driving on a road that was clearly marked with double-yellow lines, then we will shift the Chinese economy back to the third spot and return Japan to second. But, again, this is really not our thing," said Guy LaFontaine, a World Bank official.