The winners of the 16th Japan International Manga Awards were announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MFAJ) on Dec. 21. The list of winners includes Taiwanese manga artist Monday Recover (星期一回收日) and screenwriter Chen Chiao-jung (陳巧蓉), who won a silver award for their comic work "See you there and us (貓與海的彼端);" and comic artists Lai Kai (賴凱) and Yeh Yu-tung (葉羽桐) both earned bronze awards for their works "The Justice (正義)" and "Cat Swordsman (貓劍客)."
This is the third consecutive year that Taiwanese comic artists have won at the Japan International Manga Awards. Upon hearing the news, Culture Minister Lee Yung-te expressed his congratulations to the awardees. The Taiwan Cultural Center in Japan stated that in recent years, the center has been actively promoting Taiwanese comics in Japan and organizing exhibitions including "Taiwan Manga Night Market (臺灣漫畫夜市展)," "Taiwan Audio Comic Expo (漫畫有聲音展), an exhibition on the history of Taiwan's rental bookstores and manga, and more. Through various marketing strategies, it is hoped that Japanese people can have a deeper understanding of Taiwanese comics, and establish a brand identity for Taiwan.
Organized by MFAJ, the Japan International MANGA Award aims to commend manga artists who have contributed to the promotion of manga culture overseas and international cultural exchanges through manga. This year, a total of 503 entries from 77 countries and regions were submitted, among which Taiwan filed the most applications (83 cases). This year, a total of 15 winners were selected, including one Gold Award winner, three Silver Award winners, and 11 Bronze Award winners. The presentation ceremony of the award will be held in Tokyo in March 2023.