quibble

日本の歴史問題をめぐるCNNにあった記事から英語表現を拾います。
quibbleは「ごまかす, 要点をはぐらかす」という意味の動詞（『プログレッシブ英和中辞典』小学館）。もともとはto argue about small unimportant details（LDOCE）とあるように，「大事な問題点をはぐらかす」ための言葉が由来となっています。（Koyamamoto）

Opinion: Japanese politicians still struggle with wartime past
Tokyo (CNN) -- It's been a bad month for Japanese conservative politicians who can't seem to resist the temptation to rewrite history and make provocative gestures while shifting and minimizing war responsibility.
Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's overworked spokesman, has been in damage control mode, issuing numerous denials while restating and reinterpreting controversial statements.
Mayor: 'Comfort women' were necessary Ignoring Japan's 'comfort women' Korean 'Comfort women' demand justice
… The U.S. Congressional Research Service recently criticized Abe-history for roiling regional relations in ways detrimental to American interests. Ironically, Abe promised to improve relations with Washington during last year's lower house election campaign, but just as in 2007 when he quibbled about the extent of coercion used in recruiting so-called "comfort women," he is undermining bilateral ties. Given heightened regional tensions, it seems absurd that Abe and other conservatives are seeking dignity in denial and implying that Japanese aggression was justifiable and not a colossal catastrophe.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/16/opinion/japan-wartime-past-nationalism-kingston/index.html?hpt=hp_c2