Keio University and Netflix Launch an Official Course on Anime and Peace Studies

Keio University, one of Japan's most prestigious private institutions, has launched an academic course titled "Netflix Endowed Course: Anime and Peace Studies", financially supported by Netflix. The program is taught during the spring semester of 2026 and seeks to analyze the social value of anime as a form of cultural expression.

According to the university's statement, the goal is not to study animation techniques or the corporate inner workings of the industry, but to delve into how these works foster mutual understanding, empathy, and peaceful coexistence among people around the world. The classes focus on three pillars: dialogue, solidarity, and shared cultural legacies.

The course is led by the X Dignity Center of Keio's Global Research Institute and consists of 14 sessions held between April and July on the Mita campus in Tokyo. Among the instructors are Professor Tatsuhiko Yamamoto and Associate Professor Eijiro Mizutani, specialists in information law.

Netflix participates by sending speakers to the course and shares its experience in international anime production and distribution. The university also plans to develop a textbook that systematizes peace studies through anime as an academic discipline in the coming years.

Originally published on Anitsu by Marcos López. Text reviewed and fact-checked for DonOtaku on November 5, 2026; the original date is preserved.