Iconic animated characters Pikachu and Hello Kitty have been recently appointed as cultural ambassadors of Japan.
In a bid to bring the 2025 World Expo to the East Asian country, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono named the two adorable cartoon figures as ambassadors.
The announcement was made via Twitter earlier this week, with accompanying photos showing the Foreign Minister as he awards mascots of Pikachu and Hello Kitty their letters of appointment.
I have appointed Pikachu and Hello Kitty as Ambassador to promote the City of Osaka for the 2025 Expo host city. pic.twitter.com/mCkiCl5T5j
— KONO Taro (@konotaromp) November 29, 2017 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">Pikachu is arguably the most famous pocket monster from Japan's iconic Pokemon manga and anime series that was first launched in 1996. Twenty years later, the franchise has been adapted into various video games and an upcoming live-action film.
"I would like for you to represent Japan and proactively (promote) the attraction of Osaka inside and outside of the country," Kono told the characters.
Hello Kitty, meanwhile, is an anthropomorphic white Japanese Bobtail cat created in 1974. The Sanrio character has inspired billions worth of cartoon series, movies, and merchandise worldwide.
Japan hopes to use two of their most famous anime characters to market Osaka as the venue of the 2025 World Expo. The port city is competing with Saclay, Paris, a suburb in France; Yekaterinburg, a central city in Russia; and Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
According to Japan Times, Pikachu and Hello Kitty will be the main faces in pamphlets and gifts to promote the city's bid to hold the expo.
As ambassadors, they will be joined by soccer star Keisuke Honda and 2012 Nobel Peace Prize in medicine awardee Shinya Yamanaka, a professor at Kyoto University.
The host city will be decided at the 164<sup>th General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions, where 107 member states will vote in November 2018.
The World Expo, which happens every five years, is an international exhibit aimed at raising awareness and finding solutions to universal challenges. It was last hosted in Osaka way back in 1970.
The World Expo 2020 will be held on Oct. 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
