The Earth Charter Committee of Japan produced an Earth Charter Manga booklet, with illustrations from the famous manga artist Mr. Norio Yamanoi, the holder of the Manga copyright. This manga booklet is available in Japanese and English, and it presents the major global sustainability issues, which are mentioned in the Earth Charter Preamble, in a way that is easy to understand by the general public.
The Earth Charter Manga was launched in Japan in a parallel event at the UNESCO ESD World Conference in Nagoya in November 2014. Around 150 people attended this event, and since then, this publication has been introduced on many occasions. Members of the EC Committee of Japan are very pleased with the positive feedback this Manga booklet is receiving, and some people have been taking the time to suggest improvements for future editions.
In January 2015, a Library Talk at the UN University building to present this book took place, during which members of EC Committee of Japan made presentations that connected the message of this Manga booklet with the role of the Earth Charter for the post-2015 world. Around 62 people participated, and the Committee members who spoke at this event were Mrs. Wakako Hironaka and Mr. Tatsuru Kunugi.
Overall people think that Manga is a good way to disseminate the values and principles of the Charter in the Asia-Pacific region and Japan and beyond, with selective emphasis on those issues of particular concern for the present and future. There is a widely shared viewpoint (expressed during EC Manga events) that the Earth Charter as a living instrument should evolve in a dynamic way so that it can become more effectively responsive to the emerging needs of the future, reflecting the views and aspirations of people in differing countries and contexts.
The Earth Charter Committee of Japan and Mr. Yamanoi asked the ECI Secretariat to disseminate the Earth Charter Manga as widely as possible, and the Committee would appreciate your comments and suggestions for following editions, since the idea is to update this publication periodically. The Committee would like to know if this booklet could be as useful to promote values for sustainability in different cultural context as it is for Japanese society.
Download the Earth Charter Manga here. ECI appreciates the support of Earth, Water & Green Foundation to make the digital version of this booklet available.
Please send your comments about this publication to [email protected] under the subject line: Earth Charter Manga