The first Anpanman book was published 28 years after World War II. Some kindergarten teachers, however, did not want children to read it because they thought it was cruel for others to eat one’s head. Some critics said that children would not be interested in the plot.

Yanase continued to draw Anpanman in spite of the criticisms. He noticed some changes over time. One father said that his son loved Anpanman. A kindergarten teacher also shared that the students bought several copies of Anpanman because the books would wear out quickly. “They are innocent and always give straight answers. They are honest critics who toss the books they don’t like, ” Yanase said about children. He wanted to communicate the message to them honestly, which is “What is justice? We can’t do justice without being hurt.”

After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, Anpanman’s March requests flooded into radio stations. People wanted the children who experienced the earthquake to listen to the song. Adults were also encouraged by the song and repeated their requests. The song gave courage not only to the people in Tohoku but all over Japan.

Researchers from the Union of Concerned Scientists in the U.S. released a report on how consumer behavior affects the environment. Meat consumption is one of the main ways that humans can damage the environment. It is second only to the use of motor vehicles.

How does consuming meat result in a negative effect on the environment? The most important impact of meat production is the use of water and land. Two thousand and five hundred gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of beef. That is 125 times more than the 20 gallons needed to produce one pound of wheat. We can make more efficient use of the land and water by producing more crops instead of animals. One acre of farmland used for raising livestock can produce 250 pounds of beef, but if used for crops, it can produce 40,000 pounds of potatoes, 30,000 pounds of carrots, and 50,000 pounds of tomatoes.

Additionally, farm animals add to the problem of global warming. They release methane by expelling gas from their bodies. Methane gas is the second most common greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. 25% of all methane released into the air comes from farm animals.