A curious thing happened to the stock market when Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced Sept. 1 his intention to step down: Shares in "manga"-related companies surged.
Shares in major comic book store Mandarake Inc., which also sells secondhand animation-related merchandise, shot to the ¥50,000 limit.
The reason? Stock traders immediately thought of Taro Aso, a well-known manga enthusiast and champion of the nation's manga and animation culture, as the most likely candidate to be the next prime minister.