In such a situation, my work has long been concerned with the fear of nuclear weapons. It is not a fear of a specific event, but an ambiguous, vague, and elusive sense of threat-something that cannot be escaped, no matter where in the world we live, and that seems unlikely to disappear. Perhaps for visitors to my exhibitions, this fear has remained merely an indistinct impression. But as countries have emerged that openly threaten others with nuclear weapons, and as the mere existence of nuclear weapons continues to exert a silent pressure, it has become increasingly difficult for me to look away. The environment surrounding Japan has made that vague fear more tangible. What I draw now is, in a sense, simply a response to reality.

When I was a child, the 21st century seemed like a distant future. Japan was full of energy and optimism, and the future depicted in manga and anime was progressive and bright. At the same time, science fiction imagined dystopian futures, while scholars warned of dangers to come. We now find ourselves living in a world that once seemed impossible. Was the 21st century-a future that should have moved toward freedom, equality, fairness, justice, and harmony with nature-only a child's dream? Even so, I want to believe in the power and value of art, however small that power may be, and continue to live through it.