The long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party's historic defeat in the August general election can in part be blamed on the media and its manipulation of public opinion, LDP heavyweight Yoshiro Mori told The Japan Times in a recent interview.
Mori, who served as prime minister from April 2000 to April 2001, has long been one of most influential figures in the LDP. While heading the party's largest faction, he was once dubbed "the kingmaker" of the LDP, a title he strongly rejects today.
Reflecting on the Aug. 30 election that catapulted the Democratic Party of Japan to power, the former prime minister, 74, said his party could not swim against the strong tide calling for regime change, but said the LDP was also partly responsible in being unable to use the media to its advantage.