And in the world of international politics.....

[patgund]

Japan appoints cartoon ambassador

"Japan has created an unusual government post to promote animation, and named a perfect figure Wednesday to the position: a popular cartoon robot cat named Doraemon.

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura appointed the cat an "anime ambassador," handing a human-sized Doraemon doll an official certificate at an inauguration ceremony, along with dozens of "dorayaki" red bean pancakes — his favorite dessert — piled on a huge plate.

Komura told the doll, with an unidentified person inside, that he hoped he would widely promote Japanese animated cartoons, or "anime."

"Doraemon, I hope you will travel around the world as an anime ambassador to deepen people's understanding of Japan so they will become friends with Japan," Komura told the blue-and-white cat."

Comments

[beki.livejournal.com]

At least it's not a domokun :)

[electorprince.livejournal.com]

I hope the trend continues. Isn't Astro Boy their safety ambassador? Maybe they'll get the Colonel from Akira to be their version of Homeland Security Director!

[patgund.livejournal.com]

I like this comment on it:

"Japan's current culture is the biggest argument against nuclear weapons I've ever seen.

Seriously, 50 years after we dropped Fat Man and Little Boy, the Japanese are WEIRD. But mostly harmless in their weirdness. If we nuke Iran, in 50 years they'll be weird, too. But they'll also be suicide bombers. No amount of security would stop them, because their bombs would come in weird ways that no one would think of. The only way to fly would be to be drugged from the departing terminal to the arriving terminal. The TSA finds anything even SLIGHTLY unusual about you, you'll be strip searched in public.

So, yeah. No nukes. Or the seriously WEIRD terrorists win."

[peaseblossom03.livejournal.com]

Yes, because Japan definitely needs to promote its animation more. :P