Japan invents "Nobel prize" for manga comics

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has set up a "Nobel prize" for foreign manga comic artists in the hope of spreading its pop culture and winning more fans for its robot villains, mutant heroes and saucer-eyed heroines.

Foreign Minister Taro Aso, an avid manga reader himself, announced on Tuesday that the government had created the "International MANGA Award" so that artists abroad will obtain a better understanding of Japanese culture.

"We want to make it something like a Nobel prize, although prize money won’t be that big," Aso told a news conference.

The award is the brainchild of Aso, who first proposed the idea last year in a policy speech he gave in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, the Mecca of Japan’s "otaku" or nerd subculture that cherishes manga and "anime" animation movies.

In that speech, Aso spoke of the power of pop culture to influence the public, referring to how the United States -- once Japan’s enemy -- won over Japanese hearts with its pop culture, including the cartoon, "Popeye".

Winners will be chosen in July by a panel of Japanese manga artists and will be awarded with a 10-day visit to Japan and have a chance to meet Japanese manga artists and publishers.

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