Ken Akamatsu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ken Akamatsu
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赤松 健
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Member of the House of Councillors | |
| Assumed office 26 July 2022 |
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| Constituency | National PR |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 July 1968 Nagoya, Aichi, Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic |
| Spouse | Kanon Akamatsu |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Chuo University |
| Occupation | Manga artist, politician |
| Known for | Love Hina, Negima! Magister Negi Magi, UQ Holder! |
| Awards |
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| Years active | 1993–present |
| Signature |  |
Ken Akamatsu (born July 5, 1968) is a famous Japanese manga artist. He is also a politician who has been a member of the House of Councillors since 2022. This is like being a senator in Japan's parliament.
Ken Akamatsu started his professional manga career in 1993. He is best known for creating popular manga series like Love Hina (1998–2001) and Negima! Magister Negi Magi (2003–2012). Both of these were published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. A sequel to Negima!, called UQ Holder!, was also published from 2013 to 2022.
In 2011, Akamatsu started J-Comi, which is now called Manga Library Z. This website offers free digital versions of manga that are no longer being printed. Akamatsu has been a leader in the Japan Cartoonists Association since 2018. He strongly supports protecting freedom of expression for manga and anime. He believes these creative works should not face too much censorship or strict copyright laws.
In 2022, Ken Akamatsu was elected to the House of Councillors. He ran as a candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party. His main goal was to protect creative freedom. He became the first manga creator to serve in Japan's national parliament, called the National Diet. In November 2024, he was appointed as a special minister for education, culture, sports, science, and technology.
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Ken Akamatsu's Early Life
Ken Akamatsu was born in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on July 5, 1968. His father worked for the government and often moved for his job. Because of this, Ken's family lived in many different cities across Japan.
Akamatsu went to Kaijō High School in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Later, he studied at Chuo University. He has said that the anime and manga series Sailor Moon first got him interested in these art forms. While in college, he created his own fan-made comics, called doujinshi. He sold these at events like Comiket under the name Awa Mizuno.
His Manga Career
In 1993, Ken Akamatsu won the 50th Shōnen Magazine Newcomer Award. This was for his first work, Hito Natsu no Kids Game. It was published in Magazine Fresh. The next year, he started his first series, A.I. Love You (1994–1997). This was published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine.
Popular Manga Series
His manga Love Hina, published from 1998 to 2001, made him very popular. In 2001, he won the 25th Kodansha Manga Award for Love Hina. His next big work was Negima! Magister Negi Magi, which ran from 2003 to 2012. This was also in Weekly Shōnen Magazine.
Akamatsu's most recent manga series is UQ Holder!. This is a follow-up to Negima!. It started in 2013 and finished in 2022. UQ Holder! was special because its books were the first to have a "Doujin Mark." This mark showed that the author gave clear permission for fans to use his work to create their own fan-made comics. This idea was led by Akamatsu himself.
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Digital Manga and J-Comi
In 2010, Akamatsu started a test version of J-Comi. This website allowed people to download out-of-print manga for free. For the first test, he put all 14 volumes of Love Hina online for a month. It had some ads but no special locks to prevent copying.
Later, big manga publishers like Kodansha and Shueisha started working with the site. J-Comi officially launched in 2011. As of 2022, Akamatsu's manga have sold over 50 million copies around the world. His series Love Hina, Negima! Magister Negi Magi, and UQ Holder! have all been made into anime shows. Negima! was even made into a live-action TV show.
Standing Up for Creativity
Ken Akamatsu is a strong supporter of freedom of expression in anime and manga. He has often spoken out against government efforts to increase censorship or change copyright laws.
Protecting Fan Works
In 2011, he warned that new copyright laws could harm Japan's fan-made doujin scene. He continued to share his worries in the years that followed. In 2013, as a spokesperson for the Japan Cartoonists Association (JCA), he joined other creators. They opposed a proposed change to child protection laws. The first version of this law might have included fictional drawings in its rules. Akamatsu visited Japan's parliament to share his concerns. The final law passed in 2014 did not ban explicit anime and manga.
He became a managing director of the JCA in 2018. In 2019, Akamatsu and the JCA worried about a plan to expand copyright law. This plan would have made it illegal to download or screenshot anime images posted online without permission. In 2020, Akamatsu advised lawmakers in the Diet. He said that Japan's strength is its "freedom of creativity." He also said that Japanese works should not be controlled by rules from other countries.
Entering Politics
In December 2021, Akamatsu announced he would run in the 2022 election for the House of Councillors. He ran with the Liberal Democratic Party. He said his main goal was to protect creative freedom. During his campaign, he talked about "outside pressure" to control Japan's "freedom of expression, especially for manga, anime, and games." He believed these rules needed to be "approached with rationality."
On July 10, 2022, Akamatsu won a seat in the parliament. He had campaigned in person in all 47 prefectures of Japan. He became the first manga creator to serve in the National Diet. Since being elected, Akamatsu has been working on "manga diplomacy." He believes that using Japan's creative works, like manga and anime, is a way for Japan to succeed globally.
Personal Life
Ken Akamatsu is married to Kanon Akamatsu. She is a professional cosplayer and used to be a idol. They have two daughters.
Ken Akamatsu's Works
Manga Series
- Hito Natsu no Kids Game (1993; a single story published in Magazine Fresh)
- A.I. Love You (1994–1997; published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine)
- Itsudatte My Santa! (1997; a single story published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine)
- Love Hina (1998–2001; published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine)
- Negima! Magister Negi Magi (2003–2012; published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine)
- Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan (2003–2004; he wrote the story, published in Magazine Special)
- Negiho (2010–2011; he wrote the story, published in Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine)
- UQ Holder! (2013–2022; published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine and later Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine)
Anime Shows
- Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan (2002; he created the original idea for the show)
See also
In Spanish: Ken Akamatsu para niños
