Top filmmaker takes swipe at comic-mad Aso

Japanese Oscar-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki criticised Prime Minister Taro Aso's penchant for "manga" comic books yesterday and said children should spend more time experiencing nature than getting engrossed in video games and TV.

The 67-year-old director of a string of animated blockbusters including this year's "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" was asked what he thought about 68-year-old Aso's much-touted penchant for reading comics, which has gained the premier a following among fellow manga fans.

"It's an embarrassment," Miyazaki said in a rare news conference. "That's something that should be done in private."