O Kyodo Tsushin revealed that to raise awareness about the mangothe Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs is working on lists for foreign libraries to help them select manga for their collections.
Japanese manga has been the fastest-growing segment of the international comics market over the past decade, and its needs among international readers have never been greater. At the same time, the manga also deals with varied themes and genres, which requires that the selection of books in the collection be made with attention to the culture, religion and ethics of each country. Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs will ask critics in each country to select up to 100 works from a wide range of genres with these concerns in mind.
In addition to works that are easily accessible locally, the program also aims to promote lesser-known manga masterpieces and encourage the development of these works abroad. The goal is make the manga’s appeal better known around the worldmaking several works more accessible to readers in foreign libraries.
Starting next year, lists summarizing the synopsis and expression characteristics of each work will be prepared for libraries in the USA, France and Spain, where interest in manga is high (more countries are planned to be added). The lists will be marketed to library professionals and published on a special website.
