Hayao Miyazaki says he doesn't like giving interviews, but the Oscar-winning, megahit-making animator has strong opinions he isn't shy about sharing, as a packed room of reporters learned when he appeared at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Tokyo on Nov. 20.
After the event, his most widely quoted remark was a dig at Prime Minister Taro Aso, who has often publicly proclaimed his love of manga. "It's an embarrassment," said Miyazaki. "He should do that sort of thing in his private time."
Miyazaki also lamented that today's children live too much in the virtual worlds of TV, games, e-mail, mobile phones and comics, and too little in nature. "It takes away their strength," he said.