Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2010

When standard diplomacy fails, there’s always manga. The US military is attempting to win over the Japanese public with a slice of comic-book propaganda entitled Our Alliance—A Lasting Partnership (available at www.usfj.mil/manga). In the premiere edition, a bunny-eared tyke named Usa-kun squishes a cockroach to teach his Japanese friend Arai Anzu about the benefits of having 35,500-odd military personnel stationed in your backyard (seriously). What can readers expect from future installments? Here are our predictions…

• “Sometimes difficult choices have to be made!” Usa-kun cheerfully explains why the US was right to nuke Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• “If you’re mean to me, I’ll go play with Zhing Wang.” Usa-kun hints that the US can cozy up to China, if necessary
• “Everyone needs to blow off steam now and then.” Usa-kun explains why crimes committed by off-duty US servicemen should be taken with a grain of salt
• “You didn’t think this s*** would come free, did you?” Arai Anzu learns why the Japanese taxpayer should pay US military base expenses
• “Gee, dying ain’t fun at all!” Usa-kun tells Arai Anzu about the nuclear hellfire North Korea will unleash on Japan if US forces ever leave