The kanji character for "sen," which means war, battle or fight, was selected as "Kanji of the Year," or the character best representing the social trends in 2022. It was announced by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, based in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, on December 12, and written calligraphically on a large sheet of Japanese paper by Seihan Mori, the chief priest of Kiyomizu-dera Temple in the same ward. There were 223,768 entries in total, of which "war" received 10,804 votes.

The world was greatly shocked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been going on since February 2022. Also, the successive missile launches by North Korea caused many people to feel fear and anxiety about war.

Many people have faced battles in their daily lives against sharply rising prices and power shortages due to the record low yen and soaring oil prices. The battle against COVID-19 still continues as well.

At the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in the Middle East, Japan's national team defeated powerful nations and advanced to the round of 16 for the second consecutive tournament. At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Japanese athletes won a record 18 medals. The whole of Japan was excited by the heated sporting battles at those world-class events.

Launched in 1995, "Kanji of the Year" marked its 28th anniversary in 2022. It has become an annual event in December. The character selected for 2021 was "kin," which means "gold," as the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics were held. The character for 2020 was "mitsu," which means "close" as a new lifestyle to avoid close contact was advocated amid the COVID-19 pandemic.