Arya News - Anime critics, diplomats and researchers from other universities were among the guest speakers, who gave presentations on topics such as the history of anime, global viewership trends and depictions of war.
TOKYO – Keio University in Tokyo launched an “anime peace studies” course this academic year, examining how Japanese anime fosters empathy by connecting people across cultures and generations.
About 400 students enrolled in the course, which was supported by U.S. streaming giant Netflix Inc. Fourteen classes were held from April to July.
Anime critics, diplomats and researchers from other universities were among the guest speakers, who gave presentations on topics such as the history of anime, global viewership trends and depictions of war.
Kenjiro Monji, 74, a former director general for public diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry who also served as ambassador to Canada, delivered a lecture on June 16.
Highlighting Japan’s efforts to utilize pop culture in diplomacy since the 2000s, he referred to cases such as Japanese water trucks featuring illustrations of “Captain Tsubasa” being welcomed in post-conflict Iraq and Doraemon being appointed an anime cultural ambassador.
“I realized that anime has the power to bridge language and cultural divides,” Monji said.
“Even without English proficiency, I felt anime could serve as a common tool for interacting with people,” said a third-year law student who took the course.
The course is scheduled to be offered again next academic year.
“Using anime as an accessible starting point led to lively discussions among the students,” said Eijiro Mizutani, an associate professor at the university’s Institute for Journalism, Media & Communication Studies and who is in charge of the course. “I want to continue examining how anime can contribute to peace.”