ReportsThe MINT Creators and Editors Journey to New York and Toronto, Canada

2026/7/13

From May 28th (Thur.) to June 10th (Wed.) 2026, three creators and three editors made their way to New York City to participate in several events before moving on to Toronto, Canada where they were later joined by two more creators and editors.

Participating creators included: Onmae Moka (Ohayou, oyasumi, mata ashita), Katsushika Keita (Higashi Tokyo machimachi), Kohinata Marco (Akari), and Battan (Soshite hiroin wa inaku natta). Along for the ride as well were each of their editors: Kosaka Tsubasa (Akita Shoten), Inoue Kirin (LEED PUBLISHING Co., Ltd.), Emily Yoshimoto (LEED PUBLISHING Co., Ltd.), Nobuto Sumire (Futabasha Publishers Ltd.), and international rights manager, Yamaguchi Yuki (HERO’S INC.).

While in New York, MINT creators and editors were able to make appearances at talk events and signings hosted by the Society of Illustrators, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, and the School of Visual Arts. Additionally, they also received the opportunity to visit big names in the overseas publishing industry, such as KODANSHA USA and Scholastic.

▲Talk event hosted by the Society of Illustrators where Battan and Nobuto Sumire got the chance to speak.

▲Book signing for Kawakatsu Tokushige at Desert Island Comics in Brooklyn, NY

▲Talk event featuring Onmae Moka and Kosaka Tsubasa at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library

▲Meeting with Kodansha USA

Next up was the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF), where a large number of comic artists and publishers participate every year. Held in the heart of downtown Toronto, this year’s event ran from the 6th and 7th of June and had over 32,000 fans in attendance.

The festival this year was extra special since MINT creators were invited as special guests, not to mention, our very own Battan was chosen to draw the illustration for the main festival poster! With its bright and vivid use of color, it was quite noticeable around the event space, drawing a lot of praise from convention goers.

▲Battan’s 2026 TCAF Poster

At the MINT booth, which was found in the center of the TCAF event space, creators were able to hand out anthologies of their collected works, personal promotion pamphlets, and special postcards that each creator illustrated themselves. Thanks to the overwhelming interest from fans, supplies ran out faster than anticipated. Talk events and fan signings that were held during the festival also received great enthusiasm and were often packed with convention goers. MINT’s exhibition, “MANGA・マンガ・漫画: Beyond the Mainstream,” was no exception and received great interest and response from those who came.

▲MINT booth at TCAF in downtown Toronto

▲Introducing the MINT Project at TCAF

The MINT Project, which has worked hard to promote the FY2024-2026 inaugural group of creators and editors, will continue its support past the initial three-year period. This year’s trip, along with the response from overseas, has only served to motivate the creators and editors to bigger possibilities in the future. It is MINT’s aim to keep that momentum going for the remainder of their time in the project and aim for even higher goals.

Organized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, Japan Arts Council, and Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture