As of 4pm Pacific Time, Curing Japan's America Addiction was topping the Amazon international relations charts in Japan — a first for a Chin Music Press book. I am opening my humidor and sniffing a Cohiba as I write this.

OK, to put it in perspective, Morita-san's book is No. 1 for English-language books on international relations on the Japanese Amazon, so JK Rowlings has probably not taken notice yet, but still ... in this daily fight for recognition of our books, our writers and our artists, little victories like these are sustenance for the soul. The Cohiba is officially lit.

Our first review for Curing Japan's America Addiction comes from Eric Johnston of the Japan Times. It's a good one that nails the reason we wanted to publish Morita's book here:

In "Curing Japan's America Addiction," Morita says publicly what a lot of Japanese think and say privately, in sharp contrast to whatever pleasantries they offer at cocktail parties with foreign diplomats and policy wonks, or in speeches they give abroad. For that reason, "Curing Japan's America Addiction" deserves to be read by anybody tired of the Orwellian doublespeak coming out of Washington and Tokyo and interested in an alternative, very contrarian view on contemporary Japan, a view far more prominent among Japanese than certain policy wonks and academic specialists on Japan-U.S. relations want to admit.

When crises come, we tend to look for someone who can make sense of the mess. Morita is that person in Japan, just as, I would argue, William Greider is for our Wall Street meltdown. Here's another bit from the Japan Times review that jumped out at me:

Morita, unlike many political analysts in Tokyo or certain foreign "experts" on Japanese politics in New York and Washington who simply parrot each other's views, has a deep understanding of the realities beyond the nation's capital. Giving nearly 300 lectures a year throughout Japan, his contacts among not only Diet members but also politicians at the prefectural and local government level are second to none.

Very true. This is a good review, and even deals with the weaknesses of the book fairly, so it's not just a rave (but let it be known that I have absolutely nothing against raves).

Now that Japan has a new prime minister in Taro Aso, our man in Japan Minoru Morita writes about what Japan needs from its leaders in his weekly column.

Neoliberalism and democracy can't exist together. It's time for us to stress democracy.

Japan has a democratic political system and a capitalist economy. Modern Japanese society consists of people acting in both the political and economic realms. Each one of us is a free citizen. We are also consumers and investors.

A capitalistic society becomes stable when capitalism is balanced against democracy. But because our capitalistic system has been driven recklessly toward a kind of market fundamentalism, the balance is completely off and the citizens are less free. Unions have lost power. Many workers have lost their jobs. Social welfare programs have been greatly reduced. The structural reform that hid behind the name of "deregulation" took aim at the weakest of us and forced more hardship upon them. The strong have profited from the changes, but the weak are made more miserable.

Read the rest of this week's column at Minoru Morita Unravels Japan.

I was very excited to read this piece from the BBC, which essentially argues what we've been arguing since we started this press. Here's an illuminating passage on the rise of electronic readers:

No new communications technology has ever wholly replaced its predecessor. Handwriting did not replace speech, wood-block print did not replace handwriting. Radio did not succeed print. Television lives side-by-side with radio. And so on.

What happens is that any new medium changes our perceptions of existing media and we adjust our behaviour and taste to fit.

And so it will be with the book when electronic readers become commonplace. It may be the end of the cheap paperback, but a new era of more expensive books will be a pleasing stimulus to publishers and a new source of delight to human readers.

After all, the value of books is not determined by literary content alone. Colour, shape, texture and even smell are all elements of the reader's enjoyment. Better papers, more adventurous design, and quality typography are all now delicious prospects.

It's extremely gratifying to finally hear a mainstream media outlet like the BBC talk about the coming of luxury books, or as we like to call them at CMP, literary objects. It makes me think we've chosen the right path.

Also, check out this video from the BBC that shows the pitfalls of using an electronic reader in your everyday life.

Craig, books and several stylish tenugui at the Brooklyn Book Festival. We'll be back next year, too.

As Japan watchers know, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will be holding a party election for president (which is a de facto election for Japan's next prime minister) next week. We've (read "I've" — I take full responsibility for the lack of pizzazz on the following webpage) created a simple page to follow author Minoru Morita's commentary. If you think Japanese politics is too labyrinthine and esoteric, well then you haven't read Morita.

I spent last weekend watching the crowds at Aki Matsuri in Bellevue thumb through our books, and it was clear that Nobumasa Takahashi's architectural illustrations in Art Space Tokyo kept people glued to our booth for an extra few minutes. They are stunning, no doubt. They are also on display in the Bice gallery and restaurant in Tokyo through the end of the month. (Click on the "gallery" link on the Bice website for a display of Takahashi's work for our art guide.)

The Brooklyn Book Festival is this Sunday and Chin Music will be there. To be precise, Craig Mod and Ashley Rawlings will be manning our booth after their week-long stint as the guest bloggers over at Powell's. All of our books will be on display, including, quite possibly, the second edition of Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?, which is set for an October release. If you're in the area, drop by. We hear that this is one of the fastest growing and most exciting book fairs around.

We spent the weekend at Bellevue Community College taking part in Aki Matsuri, a festival of Japanese culture that seems to get bigger every year. It was a lot of fun meeting readers and prospective readers and checking out all the arts and crafts. This was the first event for our new intern, Josh Powell, and it was a serendipitous one because not only was he treated to scintillating conversation courtesy of me but he also made a discovery that probably wouldn't have happened if we weren't set up next to two Buddhist monks. Read about Josh's discovery on his blog. And see the man hard at work selling Chin Music wares behind the cut. (Plus, a rare appearance by my Dad checking out our booth, staffed by Yuko, Kimi, Kenzo and Kate).

Thanks to Takumi Ono of JungleCity.com for the above photo.

Craig and Ashley, co-creators of Art Space Tokyo, are the guest bloggers on the Powell's Books blog this week. Check out their first post.

Folks in the Seattle area, come check out the Chin Music booth at this weekend's Aki Matsuri, a celebration of Japanese culture hosted by Bellevue Community College. The matsuri, or festival, features craftspeople, martial artists, Japanese food, a Japanese-style flea market, workshops on Japanese culture and, of course, the Pacific Northwest's finest purveyor of books on Japan, yours truly.

We're very excited to be included in this year's festival because the organizers, the folks at Eastside Nihon Matsuri, have made a point of keeping for-profit companies to a minimum to allow individual artists to shine. Either the good people at ENMA looked at our books and felt sorry for us or they felt that our books fit the mold of what they are trying to promote. Either way, we're proud and happy to be part of the festival.

The event is free as is the parking. Come by and say hi. Meet our new intern, Josh among others. Check out our latest titles. Perhaps even buy a limited edition Art Space Tokyo print cloth, a contemporary art gallery in Tokyo. No pressure. Just come by and let us know you're one of our readers. We'd love to meet you.

We share this week's column by Minoru Morita, author of Curing Japan's America Addiction, our latest release set to hit bookstores in the next few days. Morita unravels the motives behind Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's sudden resignation.

Our world can change as quickly as scattering cherry blossom petals
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's sudden resignation brings to mind Shinzo Abe's exit about one year earlier. It's obvious why the overwhelming opinion is that an irresponsible administration has been tossed aside.

On one hand, the public's low opinion of the administration, the get-tough tactics of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan and the difficult demands made by coalition partner New Komeito put the administration in a tough position. It's clear that these factors led to Fukuda's decision to step down.

But to paint this resignation with the same brush as Abe's seems rash. I believe Prime Minister Fukuda timed his resignation in hopes of a miracle.

Fortune favors the brave
The Liberal Democratic Party needs to take just three steps to maintain political power: