OTSUKA Health Comic Library II Publication of “Water Is Amazing!: The Health of People and the Planet and the Power of Water” Donated to All Elementary Schools Throughout Japan
March 25, 2026
Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President and Representative Director, CEO: Makoto Inoue ) has published OTSUKA Health Comic Library II “Water Is Amazing!: The Health of People and the Planet and the Power of Water” and distributed it free of charge to all elementary schools throughout Japan, as well as special support schools, Japanese schools overseas, and national and public libraries.
OTSUKA Health Comic Library (Health Comic Library), produced under the supervision of the Japan Medical Association and the Japan Society of School Health and endorsed by the Japan Pediatric Association, is a social contribution program of the Otsuka group under which one volume is published each year and distributed free of charge to educational settings centered on elementary schools, in the hope of fostering children’s health. Each book addresses a different topic related to general themes around the human body, nutrition, and health.
The content is produced by a panel of medical professionals, schoolteachers, and other subject experts, and features original work by leading comic artists. Since the first edition in 1989*, the Health Comic Library has continued for 36 years with the cooperation of more than 200 experts and 37 comic artists, and the cumulative total number of donated books has exceeded 1.3 million.
The latest volume, “Water Is Amazing!: The Health of People and the Planet and the Power of Water,” covers a wide range of topics, including the role of water in the human body, the importance of adequate hydration, the movement of water on Earth, and the impact of human economic activity on water and measures to address it. Six comic artists bring these topics to life through original stories that are enjoyable and easy for children to understand. To deepen learning, each chapter includes quizzes and the Japanese board game sugoroku, helping children connect what they learn to their daily lives. In addition, children’s works submitted through an annual call for entries, based on each year’s theme, are included as important elements within the chapters, adding further appeal to the pages.
To date, the Health Comic Library has expanded into four series**, each aimed at different grade levels and school types. “Otsuka Health Comic Library II,” of which this volume is the first, is a new series for elementary school students, who are expected to become creators of a sustainable society. In addition to the Health Comic Library’s core health theme, the new series incorporates a sustainability perspective, including consideration for the global environment and social coexistence. The second volume, to be published next year, will present a variety of stories centered on the theme of food.
The OTSUKA Health Comic Library website has 125 sections taken from the previous 36 volumes. The website makes it easy for children to search for comics that match their interests and offers seasonal and health-related recommendations to help foster curiosity and deepen knowledge about health. A dedicated page for educators shows how the Health Comic Library content aligns with the elementary school curriculum and how the books can be used in conjunction with health education and other course content. The page also provides details on how children can participate in creating the Health Comic Library by having their works featured, as well as reports from a study group on health education activities set up to facilitate closer liaison with schools.
Launched with the belief that an interest in and understanding of health cultivated in childhood can contribute to maintaining and promoting physical and mental health throughout life, the Health Comic Library has brought together many people who wish for the healthy growth of children from their respective areas of expertise and has continued to deliver messages to children. Going forward, we will further enrich the books, the website, and related activities, and will continue our efforts to support the improvement of children’s health literacy.
Based on the corporate philosophy of "Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide," the Otsuka group will continue to contribute to the health and well-being of people around the world.
＊Initially launched by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
＊＊①1989-2000 / for upper elementary school students, ②2002-2007 / for junior high school students, ③2008-2012 / for middle-grade elementary school students, ④2014-2025 / for middle-grade elementary school students
OTSUKA Health Comic Library website (Japanese only) （https://www.otsuka.com/jp/comiclibrary/)
■ Full list of contributing comic artists
Fujio Akatsuka, Ryuzan Aki, Sayori Abe, Shotaro Ishinomori, Ippongi Bang, Seiji Iwami, Fuyuhiko Okabe, Junko Ogino, Eriko Ono, Shiori Kanaki, Sachiko Kozuki, Kentaro Koyama, Machiko Satonaka, Taro Suzuki, Yoshiji Suzuki, Keiko Takemiya, Kunio Tanemura, Tetsuya Chiba, Yukiyoshi Tokoro, Noriko Nagano, Masahiro Nikaido, Noboru Baba, Kantaro Hamada, Kikuo Hayashiya, Tsutomu Harako, Kunihiko Hisa, Kazuo Maekawa, Shinsuke Maekawa, Mitsuhiro Machiyama, Leiji Matsumoto, Tadashi Manabe, Madoka Momota, Takashi Yanase, Taiichi Yamaguchi, Nana Yuzuki, Fusako Yokoyama, Ryuichi Yokoyama (names listed in Japanese alphabetical order with honorifics omitted)
■ Selected list of topics from the last 36 years
Diet and nutrition; the human body—internal organs; the mystery of the human body and how it works; illnesses; sport, exercise and health; injury and first aid; infectious diseases; health and the mind; bacteria and viruses; water and health; the global environment and health; lifestyles and body rhythms; health checkups; safety at school, road safety and natural disasters; living well to 100; skin health; medicine.