August 13, 2026

Akahata ‘current’ column (excerpts)

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Tezuka Osamu’s professional manga debut. He created numerous works on the theme of war, including his masterpiece, “Message to Adolf.”

On August 12, NHK aired a special drama titled “Osamu Tezuka’s War” adopted from “Paper Fortress” and “God Father’s Son” which Tezuka drew based on his own wartime experiences. Amid the days of war propaganda and labor mobilization during wartime, the young protagonist never loses his passion for manga. Even after being caught drawing manga, beaten by military police, and branded as “unpatriotic,” he refuses to stop drawing.

Despite being called a traitor and risking his life, the protagonist continues to draw manga in secret. One day, he is caught in an air raid and witnesses people dying firsthand. After the war, he becomes a professional and highly popular manga artist, but he never forgets that experience.

In a 1986 street speech for the Japanese Communist Party, Tezuka sounded the alarm, saying, “War is terrifying and leads to hopelessness. Your children might find themselves in such a situation. That is what worries me the most.”

Tezuka’s thoughts are reflected in a line from “Message to Adolf” which sharply criticizes those in power who drive the nation toward war: “Which race is inferior or which nation is superior? The people who stir up such sentiments are just a tiny handful of bigwigs.” Tezuka’s works convey the horror of humanity’s drive toward war to us today.

Past related article:
> Nuclear-powered ‘Astro Boy’ turns 10 in post-Fukushima Japan [April 10, 2013]