He says he's got a face-saving deal in mind for the Japanese.
They have agreed to drop murder, to drop the arson and took the most basic minor face-saving deal of no contest.
Despite the hard public line being taken against the bill by Mr. Rubin, the Administration has been quietly negotiating to find a face-saving deal.
The Europeans, he said, recognize the value of offering both sides a "face-saving" deal.
Most analysts saw it as a face-saving deal as both countries announced they were fully satisfied with the result.
His best hope now is that the judge shows leniency, or that some kind of diplomatic, face-saving deal can be done that lets him leave the country.
They had to pass through East Germany as part of a face-saving deal for the nation.
The Washington Post reports Bush administration negotiators trying to secure face-saving deals with Bosnia and Algeria.
They said she would be resigning not as part of a face-saving deal, but because she did not feel that she had Mr. Panetta's confidence.
He suggested that both sides felt it was better to cut a face-saving deal than to leave the governor open to further public criticism.