Japan chose the kanji “sen” (戦), meaning war, battle or match, as the kanji – or character – that best symbolizes this year in Japan. The public votes in the annual event for the written character they think best represents the past year. Olympic-themed choices dominated 2021, when Japan chose “kin” – meaning gold – as kanji of the year last year in honor of the Tokyo Olympics, which took place after a COVID-19 virus postponement. The mood was darker this year… “The invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the shooting of former Prime Minister Abe, and the rapid yen depreciation and inflation faced in d…