Ken Akamatsu

1.1. Birth and Family Background

Ken Akamatsu was born on July 5, 1968, in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His father, a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, was often transferred, leading the family to reside in various locations across Japan. These included Yamagata, the Kita ward of Tokyo, Kumamoto, Higashikurume, and Kawasaki.

1.2. Education and Early Interests

Akamatsu attended private Kaijō High School in Shinjuku, Tokyo. During his high school years, he was the head of the microcomputer club, where he developed an early interest in technology and creative programming. In 1985, he created an action role-playing game titled PALADIN for the PC-8801, which was released by Bothtec. After high school, he reportedly failed the entrance examination for Tokyo University and subsequently changed his focus to studying filmmaking. He then enrolled in Chuo University's Department of Japanese Literature. While at university, he expanded his creative horizons by joining various clubs, including the animation research club, manga research club, and film research club. He has cited Sailor Moon as a significant introduction to the world of anime and manga for him.

2.1. Doujin Activities and Debut

Before his professional debut, Akamatsu was active as a doujinshi creator during his college years. He had no experience participating in doujinshi conventions until entering university. He sold his self-published works at Comiket, a major doujinshi convention, under the pen name 水野 亜和_{Awa Mizuno}^Japanese, which translates to "beggar full of hope and dreams." He later presided over a doujin circle called "Level-X" (Level Ten), which he eventually discontinued due to the demands of his professional work. Akamatsu maintains a stance of welcoming other artists to create derivative doujinshi of his works, even if they include adult content.

In 1993, Akamatsu made his professional manga debut with Hito Natsu no Kids Game (ひと夏のKIDSゲーム^Japanese). The work earned him the 50th Weekly Shōnen Magazine Newcomer Award, specifically the Special Jury Prize, marking the beginning of his career as a manga artist.

2.2. Major Works

Akamatsu's professional works primarily focused on romantic comedy and fantasy, establishing him as a popular and influential figure in the shōnen manga genre.

2.3. Awards and Sales

Ken Akamatsu has received significant recognition for his contributions to the manga industry. His notable accolades include the 50th Shōnen Magazine Newcomer Award for Hito Natsu no Kids Game in 1993 and the 25th Kodansha Manga Award for Love Hina in 2001. He also served as a selection committee member for the Kodansha Manga Award from its 40th edition (2016) to its 44th edition (2020). As of 2022, his manga works have achieved a cumulative circulation of over 50 million copies worldwide, underscoring their immense popularity and global reach.

3.1. Establishment of J-Comi

In 2010, Akamatsu launched a beta test for J-Comi (now known as Manga Library Z), a pioneering online platform designed for the free digital distribution of out-of-print manga titles. His motivation for establishing J-Comi stemmed from the observation that while out-of-print manga were often traded in the second-hand market or illegally distributed via file-sharing software and scanlations, creators received no royalties from these activities. Akamatsu aimed to create a "library of out-of-print manga" where creators could still earn revenue through an advertising-supported model, even for older works.

As its first major release, J-Comi posted all 14 volumes of Akamatsu's own Love Hina for free download for one month, featuring six pages of advertising and no digital rights management (DRM). This experiment proved highly successful, with Love Hina reportedly garnering 1.7 million downloads in its first week. Following this successful beta, major manga publishers like Kodansha and Shueisha began collaborating with the site, which formally launched in 2011. J-Comi gained further notoriety when it posted Seiji Matsuyama's Oku-sama wa Shōgakusei (奥サマは小学生_{My Wife Is an Elementary Student}^Japanese) manga, a work that Tokyo Vice Governor Naoki Inose had cited as an example of content that should be restricted for physical sale under Tokyo's recently revised Healthy Development of Youths Ordinance.

3.2. Advocacy for Copyright and Derivative Works

Akamatsu has been a vocal advocate for copyright protection and the facilitation of derivative works, particularly in the context of fan-made content. In 2013, he spearheaded the introduction of the "Doujin Mark," a new licensing system developed by Commonsphere. This mark explicitly indicates an author's permission for their work to be used as a source for derivative doujinshi (fan-made comics), whether distributed for free or for a fee at events like doujinshi conventions. Akamatsu's motivation for this initiative arose from concerns that potential changes to copyright law, such as the non-prosecutable nature of infringement under the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, could lead to legal action against fan creators even in cases where rights holders wished to tacitly permit such activities. The "Doujin Mark" was designed to prevent such situations by clearly stating the author's intent. Akamatsu himself adopted the "Doujin Mark" for his series UQ Holder!, making it the first manga to carry this explicit permission.

Furthermore, Akamatsu took legal action against two advertising agencies that had placed ads on "Manga-Mura," a notorious pirated manga website. He argued that by funding the site, these agencies were complicit in copyright infringement. In December 2021, the Tokyo District Court ruled in his favor, ordering the agencies to pay 11.00 M JPY in damages. This ruling was upheld by the Intellectual Property High Court in June 2022, marking a significant victory for creators in the fight against online piracy.

4.1. Entry into Politics and Election

In December 2021, Ken Akamatsu announced his intention to run in the 2022 Japanese House of Councillors election for a seat in the national proportional representation block of the House of Councillors, the upper house of the National Diet. He ran as a candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). His primary campaign platform was the protection of creative freedom of expression, particularly for manga, anime, and games. During his campaign, he criticized "external pressure," both foreign and domestic, to regulate Japan's creative industries, emphasizing that such regulations needed to be "approached with rationality."

Akamatsu actively campaigned across all 47 prefectures of Japan. On July 10, 2022, he won a seat, securing 528,053 votes, the highest number among all proportional candidates for the LDP. This historic victory made him the first manga creator to become a member of the National Diet. Despite being a newly elected member, Akamatsu was notable for not being recruited by any of the LDP's factions, a testament to his strong and independent stance on freedom of expression and his refusal to accept political donations.

4.2. Parliamentary Activities

As a legislator, Akamatsu has focused on issues related to culture, technology, and freedom of expression. An early initiative he pursued was the establishment of a task force dedicated to developing a legal framework for the preservation of past and present Japanese video games in a playable state. This highlights his commitment to protecting and promoting all forms of Japanese creative content.

He has also actively engaged in what he terms "manga diplomacy." This involves meeting with foreign dignitaries, visiting cultural institutions like museums and art galleries abroad to inspect manga, anime, and other cultural content, and presenting hand-drawn portraits of foreign leaders as gifts. Akamatsu believes that "manga and anime have no borders" and that capitalizing on Japan's intellectual property is crucial for the nation's success on the global stage.

4.3. Government Appointments and Policies

On November 13, 2024, Ken Akamatsu was appointed Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Reconstruction as part of the Second Ishiba Cabinet. These appointments further elevate his role in shaping national policy related to culture, education, and post-disaster recovery.

Akamatsu's policy stances reflect his core values and background:

• Constitutional Amendment:** He supports constitutional amendment, specifically advocating for the explicit mention of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.
• Emergency Clause:** He holds a neutral stance on establishing an emergency clause in the constitution.
• Defense and Foreign Policy:** He generally supports strengthening Japan's defense capabilities, including possessing counter-attack capabilities, and views the government's sanctions against Russia as appropriate. He believes Japan and South Korea should compromise to improve relations.
• Gender Issues:** He supports the introduction of a selective separate surnames system for married couples and legalizing same-sex marriage. However, he opposes the introduction of a quota system in politics.
• Economy and Energy:** He evaluates Abenomics positively but believes it needs adjustments. He advocates for reducing Japan's reliance on nuclear power.
• Other Policies:** He supports lowering the minimum age for eligibility to run for national elections and opposes the invoice system. He strongly advocates for strengthening support for freelancers. His core political mission remains the opposition to regulation of anime, manga, and other creative works, and the promotion of "manga diplomacy" to leverage Japanese cultural content internationally.

5.1. Opposition to Censorship and Regulation

Akamatsu has been a vocal opponent of government attempts to expand censorship and copyright laws, particularly concerning manga and anime. In 2011, he warned that proposed changes to copyright law under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) could "destroy" Japan's vibrant derivative doujin scene, a concern he continued to voice in subsequent years.

In November 2010, during discussions for the revision of the Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance Regarding the Healthy Development of Youths, when the issue of "non-existent youth" (fictional depictions) arose, Akamatsu participated in a Niconico Live discussion as an active manga artist, expressing his views on how the manga industry perceives non-existent youth and child pornography.

In 2013, as a spokesperson for the Japan Cartoonists Association (JCA), he joined other creators in opposing a proposed amendment to Japan's child pornography laws by the Liberal Democratic Party and its partners. The draft version of this amendment included wholly-fictional depictions, such as lolicon manga, within its definitions. Akamatsu personally visited the National Diet and the LDP headquarters to express his profound concern. His lobbying efforts, alongside those of other creators like Tetsuya Chiba and Leiji Matsumoto, were successful; the final bill, passed in 2014, did not include a ban on explicit anime and manga.

He was appointed a managing director of the JCA in 2018. In 2019, Akamatsu and the JCA raised concerns about a government subcommittee's plan to expand copyright law, which would have made downloading or taking screenshots of anime images and illustrations illegally posted to blogs and Twitter illegal, as well as copying and pasting song lyrics. In 2020, Akamatsu was invited to advise legislators in the Diet on the future of manga, where he stated that "compared to other countries, Japan's forte is its freedom of creativity" and that "a situation where Japanese works are regulated by foreign standards" should be avoided. He also serves as the supreme advisor to the "Association to Protect Freedom of Expression" (表現の自由を守る会_{Hyōgen no Jiyū o Mamoru Kai}^Japanese), an organization founded by fellow politician Tarō Yamada that actively opposes expression regulations.

5.2. Stance on Social and Cultural Policies

Akamatsu's views on social and cultural policies are deeply intertwined with his advocacy for creative freedom. He champions digital copyright frameworks that support creators while also allowing for the flourishing of derivative works, as exemplified by his "Doujin Mark" initiative. He is a strong proponent of promoting Japanese cultural content internationally, actively engaging in "manga diplomacy" by meeting with foreign dignitaries and showcasing Japanese creative works. He believes that leveraging Japan's intellectual property, particularly manga and anime, is a key strategy for the nation's global influence. His personal experiences, including his eldest daughter's long-term truancy from school, have also influenced his political advocacy, connecting his fight against expression regulation with broader support for families facing similar challenges.

7.1. Manga

• Hito Natsu no Kids Game (ひと夏のKIDSゲーム^Japanese) (1993; one-shot, published in Kodansha's Magazine Fresh)
• A.I. Love You (A・Iが止まらない!_{A・I ga Tomaranai}^Japanese) (1994-1997; serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine and later Magazine Special)
• Itsudatte My Santa! (いつだってMyサンタ!^Japanese) (1997; one-shot, published in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine)
• Love Hina (ラブひな^Japanese) (1998-2001; serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine)
• Negima! Magister Negi Magi (魔法先生ネギま!_{Mahō Sensei Negima}^Japanese) (2003-2012; serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine)
• Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan (陸上防衛隊まおちゃん_{Rikujō Bōeitai Mao-chan}^Japanese) (2003-2004; story only, serialized in Kodansha's Magazine Special)
• Negima!? neo (ネギま!?neo^Japanese) (2006-2009; original story, serialized in Comic BomBom and Magazine Special)
• Negiho (ネギほ^Japanese) (2010-2011; story only, serialized in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine)
• UQ Holder! (2013-2022; serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine and later Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine)

7.2. Anime

• Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan (陸上防衛隊まおちゃん_{Rikujō Bōeitai Mao-chan}^Japanese) (2002; original concept, story, character design)
• Love Hina (2000; original story; also provided voice acting for himself in two special episodes)
• Itsudatte My Santa! (2005; original story)
• Negima! Magister Negi Magi (2005; original story)
• Uta Kata (2004; ending illustrator, episode 11)
• Hayate the Combat Butler! Heaven Is a Place on Earth (2011; special thanks)
• UQ Holder! (2017; original story)
• Boarding School Juliet (2018; end card, episode 10)
• Kakushigoto (2020; material cooperation, episode 3)
• 16bit Sensation ANOTHER LAYER (2023; end card, episode 1)

7.3. Games

• PALADIN (1985; for PC-8801, published by Bothtec)

7.4. Books

• Copyright in Publishing and Manga Business (2018; co-authored with Yuichiro Kuwano, edited by Kensaku Fukui)
• How to Fight for Freedom of Expression (2022; co-authored with Tarō Yamada)
• Fun with Manga! The Job of a Diet Member (2024)

8.1. Contributions to the Manga Industry

Akamatsu is recognized as a pioneer in the digital manga distribution space through his establishment of J-Comi (now Manga Library Z). His initiative to provide free, DRM-free access to out-of-print manga, while allowing creators to earn revenue through advertising, offered a novel solution to the challenges of piracy and secondary markets. This endeavor demonstrated a forward-thinking approach to supporting creators in the evolving digital landscape. Furthermore, his introduction of the "Doujin Mark" provided a clear and explicit framework for authors to permit derivative fan works, fostering a more harmonious relationship between creators and their fan communities. His successful lawsuit against advertising agencies on a pirated manga site also set an important precedent for protecting intellectual property rights in the digital realm.

8.2. Cultural and Political Impact

As a cultural figure and politician, Akamatsu has leveraged his platform to become a leading voice for freedom of expression in Japan. His consistent opposition to government attempts to expand censorship, particularly concerning fictional depictions in manga and anime, has raised significant public awareness and influenced legislative outcomes. His successful lobbying efforts against proposed bans on fictional child pornography and his advocacy against broad copyright expansions underscore his commitment to protecting creative liberties.

His election to the National Diet as the first manga creator is a historic milestone, symbolizing the growing recognition of manga and anime as integral parts of Japanese culture. Through his "manga diplomacy," Akamatsu actively promotes Japanese cultural content internationally, believing it to be a powerful tool for global soft power and economic growth. His unique position allows him to bridge the worlds of creative arts and politics, ensuring that the concerns and potential of Japan's cultural industries are represented at the highest levels of government.