The award, probably the first of its kind, is being promoted by Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, a self-professed manga fan…
“I want to make the award like the Nobel Prize of manga, to enhance the voice of Japanese pop culture and subculture.”
[Update June 30] The award is won by Hong Kong artist Lee Chi Ching, with his popular Chinese comic “Sun Zi’s Tactics”. His historically themed adventure series ran from 1995-2006 in Chinese, and has been translated into numerous languages. [IHT]