To a broad range of genres that include action-adventure, comedy, historical drama, horror, mystery, romance and science fiction, Japan's manga comic book publishing industry can now add: How to survive a North Korean missile attack.

Authorities in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido this month produced a survival guide after two ballistic missiles launched by Pyongyang flew over the area. The highly stylized graphic novel form dates back to the 19th century, is widely read in Japan and represents a multi-billion-dollar business.

The four-page guide is called, appropriately, "In case a missile flies over." Created by Hokkaido manga artist Manabu Yamamoto, it features colorful characters shielding themselves during everyday scenes: schoolchildren take cover beneath desks, farmers crouch in fields and fishermen hide behind the wheelhouse of a boat. In one scene, a girl wakes up to a smartphone alarm warning of a missile launch.

Throughout, the chief advice appears to be "cover your head." The guide has been distributed to Hokkaido's 5.5 million population amid fears North Korea could be preparing to launch another ballistic missile during joint U.S.-South Korea military drills.

Last month, North Korea said Japan "no longer needed to exist" and its archipelago of four islands should be "sunken into the sea" in retaliation for its support of the United States and United Nations Security Council sanctions over its nuclear program.

Japan is located about 650 miles from North Korea at its closest point and residents have less than 10 minutes to act on official instructions in the event of a missile attack. During Pyongyang's launches in September, many residents were unsure what to do.

Authorities sent out a series of text messages to smartphones informing residents of the launches and urging them to take cover in a building or underground, but many complained there wasn't enough time to react and the advice wasn't specific enough.

"We decided to release the manga (survival guide) after hearing from residents that the current manual is hard to understand," Kiyomi Tanabe, a Hokkaido official, told AFP.

In South Korea, where the threat of war with North Korea is not new, videos posted on YouTube and other platforms that teach people how to prepare in the event of a nuclear attack have become popular. Several explain how to pack a "war bag" survival kit that includes food rations, water, warm clothing and essential medicines.

Following talks between American and South Korean diplomats in Seoul this week the two countries agreed Friday to strengthen their coordination on the North Korea nuclear issue and find ways to prod China and Russia into reining in the North, Seoul's foreign ministry said, according to the Yonhap news agency.

President Trump will visit South Korea Nov. 7-8 after a three-day visit to Japan.

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