We have a new column up on our Minoru Morita Unravels Japan page. This week, the author of Curing Japan's America Addiction talks about how the media has spun Koizumi's retirement. Here's a snippet from the column:

Once former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced his retirement from politics, several media organizations ran with stories exploring the "merits and demerits of Koizumi politics." This is odd because there weren't any "merits." It was all "demerits." I think the mass media mentions the supposed merits to justify its role in stoking "Koizumi fever" during his reign.

To read the rest of this week's column and other writings by Morita, click here.