The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday established on Tuesday the manga world's equivalent of a Nobel Prize for up-and-coming non-Japanese manga artists as a way to boost the country's diplomacy through pop culture. Foreign Minister Taro Aso, known to be a manga aficionado, said in a news conference that he hopes this award, dubbed the International Manga Award, will further raise Japan's profile.

The award is open to professional and amateur manga artists worldwide by two ways — either through applications by themselves or through recommendations from publishers, the ministry said. The screening will take place on June 22 and an award ceremony will be held on July 2. The winners will be able to come to Japan for 10 days and meet with Japanese manga artists and visit publishers here, the ministry said.