Ken Akamatsu Becomes First-Ever Mangaka to Join Japan’s Legislature

Mangaka Ken Akamatsu has successfully made a name for himself in Japan’s legislature this year. Who knew manga artists had time for politics in their brutal schedule of new chapter releases?

Japan has been going through a tough time right now. The country’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, became a victim of political assassination.

The tragedy took place during the 26th House of Councillors elections. However, these elections also marked the beginning of a revolution in the manga and anime industry with Ken Akamatsu’s win.

Akamatsu became the first-ever mangaka to win a seat at Japan’s House of Councillors, gaining an influential position in the country’s legislature.

It was a very tough battle for the Upper House election, which I faced without a support group. The result was about 530,000 votes, and he was the top winner among the proportional candidates of all political parties. Thanks to each and every one of you who supported Ken Akamatsu. In order to respond to this mandate, we will strive to realize the promises we have made from today. Thank you very much.]

English Translation, Twitter Translate

It’s a great time to be a manga artist as Akamatsu’s policies focus on freedom of speech for artists. He also strives for better working conditions and copyright policies for manga artists.

Akamatsu’s goals are to enhance manga and anime by reducing the external influence and promoting them to improve Japan’s GDP. He also fosters teaching children in manga art, distance learning, work from home, and more.

His biggest priority is cracking down on censorship and pirate websites and protecting creators’ doujins or original works.

One of the biggest criticisms of Akamatsu’s policies is that they will give rise to problematic tropes in manga and anime like child pornography, incest, and more. However, he defends it by saying that ‘there are no real victims if it’s fiction.’

At the same time, freedom of expression is necessary for artists as it’s a way to fight and rebel against the oppressive structures of the world. Will Akamatsu’s win bring positive change in the industry? Or will it set it on a dark path?

Source: Ken Akamatsu’s Official Twitter Account

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