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Kodansha’s Morning editorial team has issued an apology after a controversial claim about the U.S. military base protests was featured in the latest chapter of Shima Kosaku manga, which was published in Morning Issue 46 on Oct 17, 2024.
The issue included dialogue suggesting that some of the protestors opposing the construction of a U.S. Millitary base were paid to do so.
The specific line, spoken by a character in the manga, reads: “There are a lot of people protesting as part-time workers. I, too, have been hired for a daily wage before.”
The editorial department addressed the criticism on their official website, where they explained that the line in the manga was based on unconfirmed information.
According to the statement, the manga’s author, Kenshi Hirokane, and the editor visited Okinawa during the production process to conduct research, primarily focused on the tourism industry. During their visit, they heard from local residents about part-time jobs among protestors, which influenced the content.
The editorial department has acknowledged that the information was hearsay and had not been verified by actual participants in the protests.
They further apologized for publishing the content in its current form and announced that the dialogue will be revised for the collected edition (tankōbon) of the manga.
The full statement can be read below:
In Morning Issue 46, which featured External Director Shima Kōsaku (written by Kenshi Hirokane), a character made the following statement in relation to the construction of a new U.S. military base: “There are a lot of people protesting as part-time workers. I, too, have been hired for a daily wage before.”
During the process of writing this work, the author and the editor in charge traveled to Okinawa and conducted interviews primarily focused on the tourism industry, which were necessary for the story’s development. During this time, they heard from several local residents about the existence of part-time jobs among those opposing the base construction, and this was reflected in the work. However, this information was hearsay and had not been confirmed by the actual individuals involved.
Despite this, the depiction was presented in a definitive manner, and the character was made to say the line. As a result, the editorial department acknowledges that publishing this content as-is was a careless judgment, even though the work is a piece of fiction.
We apologize to our readers and, after discussions between the editorial department and the author, we will revise the content for the collected edition (tankōbon).
Morning Editorial Department
Kenshi Hirokane
Kosaku Shima is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kenshi Hirokane. It depicts the growth and career of a fictional salaryman named Kosaku Shima.
It has been serialized in Kodansha’s Morning, starting with the first series Kacho Shima Kosaku in 1983 and has currently been divided into eight parts. The current part, Shagai Torishimariyaku Shima Kosaku, began in 2022.
Source: Official Website
