Every year in November, a survey is conducted in Japan to choose the kanji that best represents the year that is drawing to a close. The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation (財団法人日本漢字能力検定協会) announced this year’s selection during the “Kanji of the Year” (今年の漢字) ceremony at the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto.
The chosen kanji must represent the major events that took place in the country throughout the year. For 2015, the selected kanji was 安 (read as “an” or “yasu”), which means “cheap,” “rest,” or “security.” However, its selection this year was specifically due to its meaning of “security.”
This year, Japan approved the “Legislation for Peace and Security” (平和安全法制), which allows the Japanese military to engage in offensive operations to protect its citizens. Until now, the Japanese military could only participate in humanitarian operations (peacekeeping missions), but this changed following the beheading of Kenji Goto by the Islamic State.
This kanji was also chosen due to the general increase in security measures across all countries in response to the global terrorist threat.