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Gundam Designer Gets Political with Trump Magazine Cover

Japan's major financial magazine Weekly Tōyō Keizai's latest issue is all about predictions for the new year, and judging but its recent cover, it isn't exactly promising.

The magazine commissioned 70-year-old Mobile Suit Gundam character designer Yoshikazu Yasuhiko to draw the cover. The image depicts U.S. President Donald Trump celebrating the new year with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. Between Putin and Jinping is North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un seated atop a nuclear missile.

The cover shows a message of diplomatic complicity in the rising tensions between North Korea and the rest of the world. Japan itself is feeling its own anxieties about its northern neighbor, a fact reflected in the country's choice of "North" as this year's representative kanji and "J-Alert" as one of the year's top buzzwords. J-Alert is Japan's satellite warning system that was recently utilized after North Korea launched missiles near Japan.

Of course, the world of Gundam was always rooted in (space) politics, where a declaration of independence can lead to the massacre of half of mankind.

Weekly Tōyō Keizai has reported on the "invisible" world of Japanese finance since 1895.

The manga industry has hardly been shy about expressing its opinion of President Trump. In the 11th episode of Inuyashiki Last Hero has the President appear to deliver harrowing news followed by calling viewers "losers". The children's manga magazine CoroCoro Comic, the home of Doraemon, has an ongoing series titled Yo! Daitōryō Torappu-kun. The manga's entire premise is recasting the U.S. President as a rich elementary school student that raps and engages in a lot of gross-out humor. The manga even has its own web episodes, but they aren't safe for work.

President Trump previously appeared in a chapter of Baki The Grappler last year, although creator Keisuke Itagaki has featured other politicians, including former President Barack Obama. That manga also didn't portray Trump in a positive light. Trigger's Inferno Cop also mocked the President's policies, personality, and hair in an episode shown at Anime Expo in July.

Thanks to Adrian Lozano for the tip!