In one of the weirdest Anime-related statements to ever come out of Japan, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso called for creation of a manga Nobel Prize for up-and-coming non-Japanese comic-strip artists as a way to boost the country’s diplomacy.
From Aso-san:

“I would like Japan, as the origin of manga, to give these rising artists an award equivalent to the Nobel Prize. In that way, they would feel a connection with Japan.”

Weird, isn’t it?

Aso has other plans for boosting awareness of anime and manga outside of Japan, including creating a 24-hour English TV channel for foreign audiences to learn about Japan’s culture. I’ve written about the Japanese government using Anime as a diplomatic tool before, but these ideas definitely take things to a new level.

Read the full Anime Nobel Prize Article here

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