We can only hope! If it's good enough for Malcolm Fraser....
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i4esuC_mf0IzoA0nFWBNYSm0W6-wD90OO93O0
Hello Kitty is named Japan tourism ambassador
By TOMOKO A. HOSAKA =96 9 hours ago
TOKYO (AP) =97 Hello Kitty =97 Japan's ubiquitous ambassador of cute =97
has=
built up an impressive resume over the years. Global marketing phenom.
Fa****on diva. Pop culture icon. Now the moonfaced feline can add
"government envoy" to the list. The tourism ministry on Monday named
Hello Kitty as its choice to represent the country in China and Hong
Kong, two places where she is wildly popular among kids and young
women.
Officials hope that tapping into that fan base will lead to a bigger
flow of tourists into Japan, and closer toward their goal of
attracting 10 million overseas visitors every year under the "Visit
Japan" campaign.
Last year the number of foreign tourists traveling to Japan hit a
record high of 8.35 million, up 60 percent since the government began
the marketing effort in 2003.
Arrivals from China and Hong Kong, who accounted for 16.5 percent of
visitors to Japan last year, are poised this year to become the second-
largest group of tourists after South Koreans.
At a press conference, Sanrio Co. President ****ntaro Tsuji called
Hello Kitty's new appointment "an honor" and pledged to "work hard to
attract many visitors."
Japan's other goodwill tourism ambassadors include Korean singer
Younha, Japanese actress Yo****no Kimura and Japanese pop/rock duo
Puffy AmiYumi.
Although this is the first time the tourism ministry has tapped a
fictional character for the role, the foreign ministry in March
inaugurated blue robo-cat Doraemon as Japan's "anime ambassador."
Designed in 1974 by Sanrio, Hello Kitty first appeared on a plastic
coin purse. Her image today has become one of the most powerful brands
in the world, adorning some 50,000 products in 60 countries.
In China, Kitty-fever has already broken out.
A multi-million-dollar musical featuring Hello Kitty opened earlier
this year in Beijing and is in the midst of a national tour. "Hello
Kitty's Dream Light Fantasy" is then scheduled to travel to Malaysia,
Singa****e and the U.S. over its three-year run.
According to her official profile from Sanrio, Hello Kitty lives with
her family in London. It does not mention how often she visits Japan.
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