Japan is newspaper-crazy. Its biggest daily, Yomiuri Shimbun, has 10 times the circulation of The New York Times. For now, at least. Just as in the US, young people in Japan aren't reading newspapers as often as their parents. But the Japanese have a solution: Manga No Shimbun (Manga Newspaper), an online outfit that covers the week's events in comic book form. These aren't the funnies or political cartoons—they're actual news articles about everything from foreign policy to pop culture to murder trials. The site employs more than 100 manga artists to cover breaking stories, updating 10 or 15 times a day. Graphic style varies—some pieces are in color, others black-and-white; some are realistic, some exaggeratedly kawaii (cute). Manga News is also available via iPhone app and will come to Android and other mobile platforms later this year. There's even talk of international versions. Good idea, but what happens if Astro Boy gets elected to parliament?
