Though the Koizumi revolution has yet to yield anything substantial in terms of fiscal policy, the prime minister's enormous popularity has certainly brought politics closer to the average person, which, considering how apathetic most Japanese were about government a year ago, is a notable achievement.

In the past, pundits were always required to make sense of what was going on in Nagatacho, but now most people, it seems, have a fairly informed opinion of what Koizumi is doing and how he is doing it. The electorate feels it has a stake in him, which is why his image can be marketed (Koizumi photo books, Koizumi mobile phone straps) and exploited (his son, Kotaro, is currently making his "debut" as a talent by shilling for Suntory) without anyone thinking the worse of it, including the prime minister himself.

In the past, if you said politics was a form of entertainment, you'd be branded a cynic. Now, if you said politics isn't a form of entertainment, you'd be branded a simpleton. "Wide shows" that were once solely interested in celebrity scandal and shocking crimes now spend most of their airtime on politics. Lawmakers are sexy . . . in a manner of speaking.