Ill intention for children behind Japan's defense white paper
According to Japan's Kyodo News, the outline of Japan's 2026 Defense White Paper has been released. It follows the same script: repeatedly hyping so-called "military threats" from neighboring countries while deliberately stirring up public anxiety over security.
More alarming than the white paper itself, however, is the rapid spread of this distorted narrative to increasingly younger audiences, extending even into elementary school teaching.
Since 2021, Japan's Ministry of Defense has compiled and released a children's version of the Defense White Paper every year and promoted it through its official online platforms. Last year, it went a step further by printing hard copies for the first time and distributing them to elementary schools nationwide, bringing the so-called "threat theory" directly onto school campuses, into classrooms and ultimately into students' schoolbags.
From online promotion to offline distribution, this series of moves demonstrates the clear aim of deliberately shaping the perceptions of the next generation.
From the National Diet to elementary school classrooms, and from policy documents to illustrated children's books, Japan's rightwing is carefully constructing a "child-oriented" trap:
making its highly controversial path of military expansion appear natural through child-friendly packaging; replacing the war history that should be subject to profound reflection with artificially manufactured security anxiety; and planting in the subconscious of children with the notion that “enemies are lurking outside”.
Such tactics are nothing new and bear unmistakable echoes of history. It was precisely through relentless propaganda, indoctrination and public opinion manipulation that Japanese militarism gradually mobilized public sentiment and ultimately dragged the country into the abyss of war. The lessons of history have not truly been learned. Instead, they are re-emerging today in a subtler form. That is precisely why these developments are particularly alarming.
At the heart of the political calculations of Japan's right-wing politicians lies a well-worn formula: by constantly exaggerating "external threats," they can more easily secure public support for military expansion; by continuously heightening regional tensions, they can gradually normalize moves to break through the constraints of the Pacifist Constitution; and by keeping society immersed in a prolonged sense of security anxiety, they can quietly advance a series of sensitive and potentially dangerous policy changes.
Even more worrying is that this distorted narrative continues to spread among increasingly younger groups, poisoning an entire generation of minors.
The danger of such subtle influence may even exceed that of overt military actions, as it is planting long-term landmines for the future. When a biased "threat theory" is wrapped in the seemingly harmless form of comics, illustrations and children's books, it becomes even more deceptive and difficult to detect.
Children, whose critical thinking is still developing, often lack the ability to distinguish such one-sided narratives, making them more susceptible to distorted perceptions of right and wrong.
Over time, hostility and confrontation become ingrained in the thinking of an entire generation. As Magosaki Ukeru, a former official of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, once warned: "If this trend (of 'threat theory' entering schools) continues, it will foster belligerence and hostility toward foreign countries among the younger generation."
Japan's rightwing has turned the Defense White Paper into children's reading material in an attempt to plant the seeds of confrontation in the minds of the next generation at an early age.
Yet it has overlooked one simple truth: a country obsessed with manufacturing imaginary enemies will ultimately fall victim to the security anxiety of its own making.
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第2弾キービジュアルを解禁!
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7月4日(土)AM8:00に
2nd STAGEに関する新情報を解禁!!
STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
The 2nd Key Visual is Unveiled
New information on 2nd STAGE will be unveiled on Saturday, July 4 at 8:00 AM JST, July 3 at 4:00 PM PT!
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#DrSTONE#DrSTONE最終回
“Finally, Dr. STONE Anime Comes to an End”
As I watched the final episode of the Dr. STONE anime, I was overwhelmed by emotions beyond words.
"Ah... finally, it's really the end."
The realization that Dr. STONE had come to an end shook my very soul.
Strangely, I didn't feel this way when I finished the last page of the original manga serialization ended.
At the time, many things were happening, and I already knew that we would publish another volume's worth of material the following year to give the story its true conclusion.
I even celebrated the end of the serialization with a trip to an onsen, but even there I was still drawing Dr. STONE illustrations.
One thing I truly loved was the anime's original additions created to complete the story.
I've always hoped that anime adaptations would include plenty of original material.
People often talk about "respecting the original work."
I love the idea of respecting the original.
What I don't like is making it exactly the same.
To me, anime belongs to the animators.
It should be their creation—the result of their own creativity.
It should contain their ideas, their talent, and their hearts.
Because a creative work should belong to its creators.
After all, the people who make the anime are not the mangaka.
Whenever I receive an offer for an adaptation, I always ask for one thing:
"Please make it into a work that reflects the director's own vision."
To me, that is what truly respecting the original work means.
And it is also how I show my respect to fellow creators.
As I heard from my editor at the time, there were proposals from four different studios to animate Dr. STONE.
When I was asked which one I preferred, I simply replied that I trusted Weekly Shonen Jump and Inagaki-sensei to make the right decision.
The only things I requested from the anime staff were these:
1. I hoped it would be a work with beautiful music and beautiful natural scenery.
2. I hoped it would have a real "wow factor."
3. I hoped it would be different from the manga—even the artwork.
I wanted people to watch the anime and I learn from its drawings.
Other than making those requests, I stayed completely uninvolved in the production.
I was invited to attend the voice actor auditions, but I declined.
I wanted the anime director to make those decisions.
I believed my own job was simply to keep drawing as much as I could.
And that's exactly what I did.
Perhaps that is why this final episode touched me so deeply.
I truly loved all of the original scenes, direction, and dialogue created to bring the story to its conclusion.
I could feel how much love the animation team had for Dr. STONE.
And that made me so happy and tear.
That's what I love.
Creation is about putting your heart and soul into your work.
Because the hearts of the creators were present in every scene, every moment moved me.
To everyone who worked on this final episode—and to everyone who helped bring the Dr. STONE anime to life—
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
And there is one thing I would like to say to every single one of you: "Each and every one of you is Dr. STONE."