Japanese consul thrown out of pub

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The Japanese consul in Edinburgh was thrown out of a pub after his son and a friend fell asleep.

Shuhei Takahashi insists he and his family were treated unfairly at the Three Tuns, with the teenagers falsely accused of being drunk when they were exhausted by a long flight from Tokyo.

But bar employees told The Scotsman that Takahashi "went crazy" and insisted he had diplomatic immunity.

Takahashi said he took his son to the pub because the 17-year-old is interested in music and wanted to see Scottish performers. But he said the musicians showed up late.

Robert Dobbie, the pub's owner, said sleeping is out of place in a busy establishment.

"It was a bizarre night," he said. "I am just trying to run a pub, not create some major diplomatic incident or kick off a war."