Boys for rent

The failure of the media to be a public watchdog can have profound consequences. On a day-to-day level, debate about complex issues: historical fidelity, relations with Japan’s three biggest neighbors, the possibility of conflict with China – is cheapened and blurred.

Bookstores are rapidly disappearing in Japan, and the publishing industry is partly to blame.

The core purpose of the media in any democratic society should be to as watchdog for the public interest, monitoring abuse of power. But this takes hard work and courage.