The rumor that manga-lovin’ Japanese pol Taro Aso (above, clothed) may be replacing Shinzo Abe as Prime MInister sent manga shares soaring believe it or not!

Shares of companies linked to the Japanese style cartoons known as “manga” jumped Wednesday on speculation that a big fan of the genre may become the country’s next prime minister.

[snip]An avowed fan of “manga” and Japanese animation known as “anime,” Aso has argued that warm feelings for Japanese cartoons can translate into warm feelings for Japanese foreign policy.

“We didn’t develop manga, karaoke and conveyor-belt sushi just because we wanted to win praise overseas,” Aso, a former foreign minister, wrote on his Web site. “We just loved them, and we did our utmost inventing them.”

Azo already established a manga prize; it is unknown whether he goes to the manga shop every Wednesday or what condition he likes his books in.