School of Humanities and Human Sciences, School of Education, School of Law, and School of Economics and Business at Hokkaido University will hold a Homecoming Day 2025 public lecture, "Death and Life Depicted in Anpanman: The Life of Yanase Takashi," on September 27th.

Takashi Yanase (1919-2013) is the creator of Anpanman, a character known to all Japanese people. Interviews with Yanase Takashi, who spent his impressionable years during the war, and those around him, including his wife, revealed the scars of war and the shadows of history that each of them carried. Taking the opportunity of the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, I compiled my thoughts on those whose fates were changed by the war and those who supported Japan after the war in a book titled "The Life of Yanase Takashi," published in March of this year.

Anpanman was born from Yanase's experiences and thoughts "merging together like a river." Feeding someone in need with one's own face is seen as the ultimate form of self-sacrifice, a symbol of "death." At the same time, it also questions the meaning of "being resurrected by the power of others," as seen in Uncle Jam. "Death is not meaningless," but rather something that is passed on to the next generation. We hope you will learn about Yanase's strong affirmation of the brilliance of life and the joy of living, and how he lived lightly while shouldering the weight of the times.

For more information, please click here. *You will be redirected to the Hokkaido University Faculty of Humanities and Human Sciences website.