Anime News

Japan Defense Paper Issued as Manga
Date: 7/9/2004
In addition to the standard version, the Japanese government's annual defense white paper is set to be released in manga format later this summer. The interesting decision was approved by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in the hopes that it will help to make politics more interesting with Japans younger adults. A Japanese spokesperson is quoted as saying, "We'd like to be able to reach the younger generations, those in their 20s and 30s."

The full white paper features 450 pages, mostly crammed with small print and even smaller footnotes. In order to improve the popularity of the white-paper, this year's version was printed on glossy paper and includes several pages of illustrations and color photographs.

The paper itself warns of an increasing potential threat from China as the Chinese military becomes increasingly high-tech and focuses more on the quality of its forces and not the quantity. According to the paper, Japan must organize its fractured air, sea and ground self def fence forces under one command in order to deal with new threats posed by its Asian neighbors.

Specific details on the manga version are not yet available, it is due to be issued in August.

Japanese voter turn out has been extraordinarily low in recent years, hovering around or under 50% in many districts and across the country. Comparatively, most other countries that use proportional representation typically enjoy voter turn out rates of 70-90%.
Source: Anime News Network