Ask John: What’s the Significance of the “Peace” Sign?

Question:
I’ve seemed to notice this in a lot of anime and manga: characters often hold up their hand in what looks like a “peace” or “victory” sign, but their fingers aren’t spread apart as much. Characters sometimes use it when they are waving goodbye. I was wondering if that had any special meaning, or if it’s just characteristic of anime, or what.

Answer:
While every characteristic archetype of anime may seem foreign or seem like it represents some cryptic hidden significance, the peace symbol is actually not one of them. This gesture, seen commonly both in anime and in real-life Japanese society, is simply the Japanese equivalent of the American “thumbs up.” Introduced to Japan and the world by President Eisenhower and Prime Minister Churchill during World War II, then popularized again by the hippies of the 1960s, Japan adopted the “peace symbol” in both its “peace” and “V for Victory” incarnations. Throughout Japan, and especially in the Hokkaido region, the “V” gesture is used as a sign of solidarity, like a friendly wave, between motorcyclists. It has also become a favorite gesture to make while being photographed, indoctrinated into Japanese children from the earliest age. While the “V” symbol may be sometimes used to mean “peace” as a sort of apology for a mistake, it’s most commonly used in Japan in relatively the same circumstances under which Americans would raise one thumb and smile. Like the virtually all purpose Japanese word “domo,” the “peace symbol” to contemporary Japanese culture is a virtually all-purpose gesture representing positive will, good nature and happiness.