Tokyo, Japan — A NHK documentary airing this Saturday, July 26, 2025, will spotlight the remarkable journey of Barefoot Gen, the iconic Japanese manga that crossed continents to spread a message of peace.
Originally published in the 1970s when Japanese manga was still largely unknown outside of Japan, Barefoot Gen tells the powerful story of a young boy who survives the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The deeply personal and harrowing account, drawn from creator Keiji Nakazawa’s own experiences, has since been translated into more than 25 languages, with English editions selling over 110,000 copies.
But the manga’s path to international recognition—especially in the United States, the country that dropped the atomic bomb—was far from easy.
The NHK documentary, part of the series Shin-Project X, will air on Saturday, July 26, from 8 to 9 p.m. on NHK-TV in Japan time. It explores the early efforts of Project Gen, a volunteer-led initiative that brought Hadashi no Gen (as it's known in Japanese) to English-speaking audiences in the early 1980s. Facing cultural resistance and controversy, the group nonetheless succeeded in introducing the manga to American readers, thanks in part to a pivotal encounter with a sympathetic American elder.
Alan Gleason, a longtime Project Gen member, reflected on the story’s renewed relevance ahead of the upcoming broadcast, noting, “It may feel like ancient history, but NHK clearly saw the story’s significance in light of the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing this year.”
The documentary will even include dramatized reenactments of the original translation meetings that took place in the late 1970s—offering viewers a glimpse into the grassroots beginnings of a project that would come to have global impact.
A preview of the episode is available online in Japan:
Watch the trailer on NHK's official site
