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August 13, 2026
 

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MASCOTS

The yen trades in the ?162 range against the dollar in the afternoon of the June 30.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 21, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ next economic challenge: bringing yen home
Now, with the yen seen as problematically weak, there are overdue reasons to encourage local capital to stay here.
A visitor to Osaka's World Expo 2025 wears Myaku-Myaku headgear in April. The mascot¡¯s runaway popularity surprised many, turning what some expected to be a liability into one of the event¡¯s biggest draws.
COMMENTARY
Dec 10, 2025
Myaku-Myaku and the year of the mascots
Myaku-Myaku was the event¡¯s mascot and its breakout star. One report has the expo bringing in over ?3 trillion to the area, some ?300 billion ahead of estimates.
The Osaka Expo site is packed with visitors on Oct. 13, the final day of its six-month run.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2025
Myaku-Myaku pushes Osaka Expo¡¯s economic impact up to estimated ?3 trillion
The figure surpassed last year¡¯s projection of ?2.75 trillion, thanks to the popularity of goods featuring the expo¡¯s official mascot Myaku-Myaku, according to a survey.
JR East is retiring the beloved Suica penguin as part of a rebrand to transform the contactless payment platform, used for both transit and retail, into a mobile fintech powerhouse.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 16, 2025
A beloved Tokyo penguin¡¯s end presages Suica¡¯s shift to payments giant
Since Suica¡¯s introduction in 2001, the penguin has featured on transit cards and apps that are used daily by the tens of millions who traverse the world¡¯s largest metropolis.
Stuffed toys featuring Myaku-Myaku, the official mascot character of the Osaka Expo, line the shelves of a store at the expo site on Yumeshima island in the city of Osaka.
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2025
Sales of Expo mascot Myaku-Myaku goods to continue through March
The sales period has been extended by over five months thanks to an unexpected surge in the popularity of Myaku-Myaku.
The Osaka Expo will release a wave a new products in October, including a limited edition Labubu Myaku-Myaku figurine.
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 27, 2025
Myaku-Myaku gets the Labubu treatment at the Osaka Expo
With just weeks left before its final day, Osaka Expo is dialing up the ugly cuteness of its beloved blobby mascot and tapping into the global Labubu craze.
2025 Osaka Expo mascot Myaku-Myaku dances on the stage during the event's official opening ceremony on April 12.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 28, 2025
Expo ¡®25 gives the world a masterclass in mascots
At Expo 2025 in Osaka, mascots from around the world borrow from Â鶹´«Ã½ character culture ¡ª but none can match Myaku-Myaku¡¯s gloopy charm.
Pix (left), the mascot of the U.K. Pavilion at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, is seen alongside the event's official mascot, Myaku-Myaku, on Jan. 16 in the city of Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture
JAPAN / Society
Apr 4, 2025
Countries¡¯ mascots beat drum for Osaka Expo
Participating nations are taking on Â鶹´«Ã½ love of mascots by coming up with characters of their own, some of which incorporate the culture of the host country.
Swallows mascot Tsubakuro performs during a game at Jingu Stadium in June 2023.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 21, 2025
Swallows employee who portrayed popular mascot Tsubakuro dies
Tsubakuro became a ubiquitous presence at Jingu Stadium after his debut in 1994.
Stuffed toys of Custom-kun, an official mascot character of Japan customs, and a birthday cake made by a customs official depicting the character
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2025
Japan customs character goods to go on sale
The Finance Ministry hopes that selling character goods such as stuffed toys and stationery will make customs more familiar to people.
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida accepts a gift of 'dekopon' citruses, a specialty product and symbol of Kumamoto Prefecture, from Kumamon, itself a mascot and instantly recognizeable symbol of the region.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 28, 2024
Â鶹´«Ã½ ¡®meibutsu¡¯-industrial complex is a wonder to behold
If you name a Japanese prefecture, many locals will instantly be able to tell you something that the region is famous for or a product synonymous with that area.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 11, 2023
How a ¡®Muppets¡¯ artist became a part of J. League mascot history
Among American writer Guy Gilchrist¡¯s achievements over a career that has spanned more than 40 years is the creation of Shimizu S-Pulse mascot Pul-chan.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Nov 15, 2022
Cap that symbolizes French republic chosen as Paris 2024 mascot
Organizers expect toys representing the mascots to generate ¡®between 20% and 25%¡¯ of merchandising revenue.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 6, 2022
Kumamoto turns to trusty mascot Kumamon for post-COVID tourism boost
Authorities are developing bear-themed attractions across the region, betting they will spur an influx of overseas visitors when some of the world¡¯s strictest border restrictions ease.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Oct 2, 2021
The bike safety campaign that backfired
The Chiba Prefectural Police hoped an animated avatar would help with bicycle safety but wound up wading into a long-running debate over misogyny.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 28, 2021
The Olympic mascots aren¡¯t winning any medals
Before the pandemic, the Japanese designer who created the Olympic and Paralympic mascots predicted that they would become the ¡®face of the Games.¡± It hasn¡¯t quite turned out that way.
Japan Times
LIFE / 2010S: DECADE IN REVIEW,2010s: Decade in review
Nov 7, 2019
Mascots: The secret weapon in Â鶹´«Ã½ soft power arsenal
What makes a good mascot? It used to be that being cute was enough, but ¡®yuru-kyara¡¯ in the 2010s needed storylines and Instagram followings if they want to make a mark.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2019
Chubby Nagano Prefecture bear beats nearly 800 other characters to win annual mascot competition
Arukuma, a chubby, green-colored bear wearing a red hood in the shape of an apple around its face and head, was the winner of a high-profile annual contest held in the city of Nagano on Sunday.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 25, 2019
Susaki mascot Chiitan runs afoul of Twitter¡¯s social media rules
Chiitan the otter was riding high this spring. After becoming one of the most popular characters in the country thanks to its chaotic online behavior, Chiitan started appearing everywhere in the media.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Mar 11, 2019
Have Â鶹´«Ã½ yuru-kyara reached critical mass? Minds behind the mascots discuss
Over the past few decades, towns, cities and prefectures throughout Japan have been churning out mascots to represent and promote themselves, resulting in an annual contest, the Yuru-kyara Grand Prix, that has come to symbolize their popularity.
Gut bacteria may be behind many of Â鶹´«Ã½ colorectal cancer cases
A Japanese research team found that a toxin produced by certain E. coli strains, colibactin, caused genetic mutations in nearly half of colorectal cancer cases studied
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
She is Russia¡¯s richest woman. Her business empire is going up in flames.
Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of Wildberries, speaks about Ukrainian drone attacks on the company's warehouses in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unidentified location, in this still image from a handout video released on July 31.
Severe tropical storm Chan-hom makes landfall near Tokyo
Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom made landfall around Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Tuesday night.
What Â鶹´«Ã½ language rules for permanent residency should look like
Potential health care workers hoping to find work in Japan take Japanese language instruction in Jakarta. Not all applicants for permanent residency should be expected to reach this level of proficiency.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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