Renowned Manga Artist Yoshitoki Oima, Creator of A Silent Voice and To Your Eternity, to Visit India in January 2026

New Delhi & Jaipur | January 2026
India will welcome one of Japan's most celebrated contemporary manga creators, Yoshitoki Ōima, for her first-ever visit to the country this January.

Oima is best known as the creator of the internationally acclaimed manga A Silent Voice, a deeply moving work that explores themes of bullying, disability, guilt, empathy, and redemption. A Silent Voice has been published in more than 30 countries and translated in over 20 languages worldwide and has achieved over 6 million copies in cumulative circulation, earning widespread recognition across cultures and generations.

She is also the creator of To Your Eternity, another globally beloved series that has likewise been published in over 30 countries and translated in over 20 languages, with a total circulation exceeding 7 million copies. The series has been praised for its profound storytelling, emotional depth, and philosophical exploration of life, loss, and humanity.

This visit offers a rare chance for Indian readers to meet and interact directly with a world-renowned manga creator. Yoshitoki Ōima has shared her strong interest in Indian society and culture and has been greatly looking forward to visiting India and connecting with readers in person.

Her visit marks a significant cultural milestone for India's rapidly growing manga and graphic novel readership, highlighting the increasing global connection between Japanese manga culture and Indian fans.

Public Appearances and Events
During her India visit, Yoshitoki Ōima will participate in the following public-facing literary and cultural events:

New Delhi
New Delhi World Book Fair 2026
17 January 2026

• Public talk session
  
• Audience interaction
  
• Book signing session (limited slots)
  

Japan Foundation, New Delhi (Library Event)
17 January 2026

• Special talk session
  
• Cultural interaction with readers and students (limited slots)
  

Jaipur
Jaipur Literature Festival 2026
18–19 January 2026

• Panel discussion
  
• Public talk session
  
• Book signing session
  

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The Jaipur appearances will place manga within a broader global literature context, highlighting illustrated storytelling as a serious and emotionally resonant narrative form.

Why This Visit Matters
A Silent Voice has found a deeply personal resonance with Indian readers, particularly young adults and students, for its sensitive portrayal of social isolation, accountability, and healing.
Oimas visit offers Indian audiences a rare opportunity to engage directly with the creator behind a story that has influenced readers worldwide.
This visit also reflects the growing recognition of manga as literature within India's cultural and publishing landscape.

Media Interactions
As part of her visit, Yoshitoki Ōima will participate in select media interactions, which have been coordinated in collaboration with cultural and publishing partners.
These include interviews and short video features with Indian and international media outlets.

Book Signings & Reader Engagement

• Autograph sessions will be held following select public talks in Delhi and Jaipur
  
• A limited number of signed and pre-signed copies will be available at official festival book stalls
  
• Titles will be available in English editions through official publishing partners
  

Organisers & Cultural Partners
The visit is supported by The Japan Foundation, in collaboration with publishing and cultural partners.
The tour will be guided by Yoshiaki Koga, founding editor-in-chief of Courrier Japon and a veteran of India's entertainment and media industries. Local community coordination in India is being facilitated by Super Sugoii, which works to strengthen creative and cultural exchange between Japan and India.

About Yoshitoki Ōima
Yoshitoki Ōima is a celebrated Japanese manga artist known for her emotionally resonant storytelling and subtle, human-centered narratives. Born in Japan in 1989, she made her professional debut in 2008 when her one-shot A Silent Voice won the 80th Weekly Shōnen Magazine Newcomer Award. She began her first serialization the following year with Mardock Scramble (story by Tow Ubukata) in Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine.

Her major breakthrough came in 2013 with the serialization of A Silent Voice in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. The work received widespread critical acclaim for its sensitive portrayal of bullying, guilt, and forgiveness, and was later adapted into a highly successful animated feature film in 2016. Rather than relying on dramatic confrontation, the series is noted for its quiet emotional approach—depicting how individuals hurt, withdraw, and gradually attempt to reconnect—allowing readers to recognize the complexity and imperfection of human relationships without assigning blame.

In 2016, Oima launched To Your Eternity, a long-running series that expanded her storytelling to a broader, time-spanning scale. Through a succession of encounters and farewells, the work explores love, loss, memory, and the meaning of life itself. The series has been widely praised for its emotional depth and philosophical perspective, with an anime adaptation that began airing in 2021. The manga concluded in 2025.

Throughout her career, Oima has received numerous prestigious honors, including the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize (New Creator Award), the Kodansha Manga Award, and France's Daruma d'Or Manga Award. A Silent Voice has also been nominated for major international awards such as the Eisner Award (USA) and the Max & Moritz Prize (Germany).

Her works are known for stories that do not deny human weakness but instead approach it with quiet empathy, Yoshitoki Ōima's work continues to resonate deeply with readers across cultures.