South China Morning Post
Advertisement
Advertisement
Japan
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
Seihan Mori, chief Buddhist priest of Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto, writes the kanji character “sen”, meaning war or battle, with a calligraphy brush on Dec 12. The character was selected as the best single kanji to symbolise the national mood for the year, referencing the Russia-Ukraine war. Photo: Kyodo
AsiaEast Asia

Japan picks ‘war’ as kanji character of the year amid ‘anxiety for many people’

  • In the public vote for the character best representative of the year, ‘war’ was chosen in a year of the Ukraine war, Shinzo Abe’s assassination
  • Olympic-themed choices dominated the 2021 vote, while Covid-related words were popular in 2020
Japan
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Why you can trust SCMP
Japan chose the kanji character for war on Monday as the symbol for 2022 after a year marked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the assassination of former leader Shinzo Abe.

The public votes in the annual event for the written character they think best represents the past year. Olympic-themed choices dominated 2021.

The mood was darker this year, however, according to the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, which organised the vote.

03:43

Japan bids farewell to former prime minister Shinzo Abe at controversial state funeral

Japan bids farewell to former prime minister Shinzo Abe at controversial state funeral
“The invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the shooting of former Prime Minister Abe, and the rapid yen depreciation and inflation faced in daily life have caused anxiety for many people,” the group said in a news release.

Japanese TV stations broadcast the announcement live, with Seihan Mori, master of the ancient Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto, writing the character on a large white panel with an ink-soaked calligraphy brush.

“I was surprised, frustrated, angry and sad by the war in Ukraine. I am also angry at myself for not being able to do anything about it,” said one voter who picked the character.

Abe was shot in July by a man who reportedly resented the Unification Church over massive donations his mother made to the sect.
Ghibli Park opened to the public on November 1. Photo: EPA-EFE
War – also picked to represent sporting battles in baseball and at the World Cup – was followed in the rankings by a character meaning both cheap and safe, with the weak yen and inflation adding to feelings of insecurity.

The character for fun and easy was ranked third, with one voter citing the opening of the Studio Ghibli theme park.

Japan chose “gold” as kanji of the year last year in honour of the Tokyo Olympics, which took place after a Covid-19 virus postponement.

The 2020 winner was mitsu, meaning dense, crowded and close: three situations people in Japan were urged to avoid to prevent Covid-19 infection.

2