The Chinese character meaning "war" or "battle" has been chosen as the kanji that best symbolizes this year in Japan.

A Kyoto-based association promoting the use of kanji announced the result of its annual poll on Monday with a calligraphy performance at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto City.

Chief priest Mori Seihan wrote the kanji "sen" on a large sheet of Japanese washi paper.

The character received 10,804 votes, the most among over 223,000 entries from the public.

This is the second time that the kanji character has been chosen in the event's history, following 2001, when the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States occurred.

Association officials noted Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Japanese people's struggle with the impact of high prices and the weaker yen as reasons for the kanji's popularity.

The officials also cite international sports events. They say Japan's men's national soccer team defeated former champions Germany and Spain in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and Japanese athletes demonstrated strong performance in the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Mori said he believes the Russian invasion of Ukraine had left a strong impression.

He expressed hope that next year will be a good year in which everyone can live with peace of mind.