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Director Miyazaki Criticizes Prime Minister Asō

Update: The Reuters and AFP news services report that acclaimed Studio Ghibli co-founder and director Hayao Miyazaki (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Spirited Away, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) criticized Japanese Prime Minister Asō during a Thursday news conference for overemphasizing his manga reading. When asked about the conservative minister's manga habit, Miyazaki said, "It's an embarrassment. That's something that should be done in private." Miyazaki also downplayed the use of Japanese entertainment to promote the country — as Asō has been advocating — and to raise Japan's youth. The director warned of nationalism by noting, "We learned from the last war that the town we love or the country we love can always turn into something bad to the world. I believe we must not forget what we learned."

This article was originally an update to an article about Asō and Russian Peesident Dmitry Medvedev's reported plans to discuss a joint anime production starring the Japanese manga character Doraemon and the Russian folklore creature "Dorafei."