Photo/Illutration A girl in London holds a Tesco Christmas card from the same pack that contained an SOS message apparently from prisoners in China. (PA via AP)

“Message in a Bottle,” a hit number by British rock band The Police, is about a man stranded on a remote island who puts an SOS message in a bottle and tosses it into the ocean.

The melody is haunting, and so are the lyrics that convey a deep sense of alienation: “I’ll send an SOS to the world ... I hope that someone gets my message in a bottle, yeah.”

I am wondering about the identity and the feelings of the sender of a message found in a Christmas card sold in Britain by the Tesco supermarket chain.

According to reports, the message said in English, “We are foreign prisoners in Shanghai Qingpu prison China. Forced to work against our will. Please help us and notify human rights organization.”

It implies that the cards are being made by forced laborers, but the Chinese foreign ministry has dismissed the claim as a hoax.

Chinese authorities should investigate, but I suppose there may be no point in telling Beijing what to do.

Economic globalization means we constantly come across products whose makers and countries of origin are unknown. While globalization brings many benefits, its dark side manifests itself from time to time, such as in reports of child labor and accidents at factories.

Tesco has reportedly suspended production and sales of the cards and started an investigation.

If the message from the self-proclaimed prisoners is genuine, it must have taken them tremendous courage to smuggle it out.

We need to peer closely into the dark to find out the truth.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 25

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.