Manga comics can warm Asia ties, award winner says

By Chisa Fujioka

TOKYO (Reuters) - Make manga, not war.

That was the message on Monday when Japan's foreign minister awarded prizes in the country's first international contest for foreign artists who have helped spread the popular Japanese "manga" comic genre abroad.

Foreign Minister Taro Aso, an avid manga fan, presented Hong Kong's Lee Chi Ching with a trophy for first place.

"I strongly hope that through the works of today's winners, manga will serve as a bridge to the world," Aso said at the ceremony, held at a state guest house usually reserved for weighty diplomatic talks.

Lee, a veteran artist, was recognized for his work "Sun Zi's Tactics," a comic set at the end of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and translated into many languages, including Japanese.

Asked what he thought of Aso's idea that Japanese manga and "anime" animations and could be the way to Asia's heart, Lee replied through an interpreter: "People who like the same things will never go to war or fight."

Japan's relations with Asian countries, including China and South Korea, have long been strained by disputes stemming from their bitter wartime past.

Lee also said the work for which he won the award had tried to convey the message that countries should never go to war.