ABSTRACT
In the spring of 2014, Kariya Tetsu’s culinary manga Oishinbo became a major news story when episodes of the story arc, The Truth about Fukushima (Fukushima no shinjitsu) alleged that radioactive exposure could have caused the protagonist’s mysterious nosebleed. Many in the press and government denounced this claim as a false rumor causing economic damage (fūhyō higai). In addition to addressing the implications of The Truth about Fukushima’s contentious reception, this chapter examines how Oishinbo’s treatment of the nuclear crisis harnesses the resources of the manga medium to critique the mishandling of the accident and to mourn the serious losses that resulted. (102 words)
