1. Ken Akamatsu is a Japanese manga artist and politician who has served since 2022 as a member of the House of Councillors.
15 Facts About Ken Akamatsu
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In 2011, Akamatsu founded J-Comi, a free digital distributor of out-of-print manga.
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Ken Akamatsu has been a managing director of the Japan Cartoonists Association since 2018, and is a vocal advocate for protecting freedom of expression in manga and anime from expansions in censorship and copyright law.
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Ken Akamatsu was born in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, on July 5,1968.
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Ken Akamatsu attended private Kaijo High School in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and entered Chuo University's Department of Japanese Literature.
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Ken Akamatsu has cited Sailor Moon as his introduction to anime and manga.
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In 1993, Ken Akamatsu won the 50th Shonen Magazine Newcomer Award for his debut work Hito Natsu no Kids Game, published in Kodansha's Magazine Fresh.
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In 2010, Ken Akamatsu launched a beta test of J-Comi, a free manga download site for out-of-print titles.
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Ken Akamatsu is a vocal advocate for protection of freedom of expression in anime and manga, and has been an opponent of government attempts to expand censorship and copyright law.
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Ken Akamatsu visited the National Diet and the LDP headquarters to express his concern, and the final bill passed in 2014 without a ban on explicit anime and manga.
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Ken Akamatsu was appointed a managing director of the JCA in 2018.
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In 2020, Ken Akamatsu was invited to advise legislators in the Diet on the future of manga, stating that "[c]ompared to other countries, Japan's forte is its freedom of creativity" and that "a situation where Japanese works are regulated by foreign standards" should be avoided.
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In December 2021, Ken Akamatsu announced a candidacy in the 2022 election for the national proportional representation block of the House of Councillors, the upper house of the Diet, under the LDP banner.
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On July 10,2022, Ken Akamatsu won a seat after campaigning in person in all 47 prefectures, becoming the first manga creator in the National Diet.
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Ken Akamatsu is married to Kanon Ken Akamatsu, a professional cosplayer and former idol; they have two daughters.