Chugoku Shimbun carries manga version “Voice Newspaper” reporting summer of 1945 in today’s and tomorrow’s newspaper
Aug. 2, 2022
by Minako Okuda, Staff Writer
The Chugoku Shimbun has created a manga entitled “Koe no Shinbun - Chikara no Kagiri (Voice Newspaper: To the best of my power)” which depicts a reporter who served as a member of an oral communication team in Hiroshima immediately after the atomic bombing during that summer 77 years ago. The manga tells the story of the reporter who went from place to place in an attempt to convey information orally about relief stations and food supplies because there was no paper available. This project was planned to coincide with the 130th anniversary of the publication of the Chugoku Shimbun.
On August 6, 1945, the Chugoku Shimbun lost many of its employees as well as the company building, which left the company unable to publish the newspaper. Under army order, reporters formed an oral communication team. Natsue Yashima, a reporter and team member who was then in her 20s (and died in 2006 at the age of 87), appears as the main character in the manga.
The manga artist is Naoko Kubo, 40, an instructor from the Department of Fine Arts of Hijiyama Junior College and a resident of Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima. She created this story based on memoirs and materials found at the newspaper company with her two assistants who are in their 20s.
“Koe no Shinbun” is one of the four volumes of “Manga: Newspaper Company in the A-bombed City” produced by the Chugoku Shimbun. A total of 24 pages were carried on the morning edition of the August 2 and 3 issues. This manga is also being made available on the Chugoku Shimbun Digital website. The company will complete the remaining three volumes of manga featuring news reporters and cameramen by the end of the year and publish them in book form.
(Originally published on August 2, 2022)
The Chugoku Shimbun has created a manga entitled “Koe no Shinbun - Chikara no Kagiri (Voice Newspaper: To the best of my power)” which depicts a reporter who served as a member of an oral communication team in Hiroshima immediately after the atomic bombing during that summer 77 years ago. The manga tells the story of the reporter who went from place to place in an attempt to convey information orally about relief stations and food supplies because there was no paper available. This project was planned to coincide with the 130th anniversary of the publication of the Chugoku Shimbun.
On August 6, 1945, the Chugoku Shimbun lost many of its employees as well as the company building, which left the company unable to publish the newspaper. Under army order, reporters formed an oral communication team. Natsue Yashima, a reporter and team member who was then in her 20s (and died in 2006 at the age of 87), appears as the main character in the manga.
The manga artist is Naoko Kubo, 40, an instructor from the Department of Fine Arts of Hijiyama Junior College and a resident of Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima. She created this story based on memoirs and materials found at the newspaper company with her two assistants who are in their 20s.
“Koe no Shinbun” is one of the four volumes of “Manga: Newspaper Company in the A-bombed City” produced by the Chugoku Shimbun. A total of 24 pages were carried on the morning edition of the August 2 and 3 issues. This manga is also being made available on the Chugoku Shimbun Digital website. The company will complete the remaining three volumes of manga featuring news reporters and cameramen by the end of the year and publish them in book form.
(Originally published on August 2, 2022)
