Prime Minister of Japan holds up Ayu cover at press conference

[freedreamer]

I tihnk its such an honour..haha

Now THAT is cool

[KarenPang]

lmao what a hip prime minister that Japan has

[Nandokanji]

lol .. politicians
but isn't that cawaii magazine ?

[wannajoin_Team Ayu]

he should know who ayu is
coz ayu pay him lots of tax and his salary every year

[rakeru]

nice!

how many times do you see "Aso Taro" in the tags list?

[LacusClyne]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

Actually whats funny about that clip is that he holds the mags up and asks the people if they know who they are and is met with either laughter or silence. Then says something to the effect of, well its not our generation really.


Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was famous for talking about X-Japan's Forever Love as his favorite song.

true...i have to say i'm not that proud that ayu was mention by an otaku prime minister, whom actually promotes manga too....is he seriously working for the country????

[alternarist]

Nice one Taro Aso!

[Luvia]

thats cool... at least he knows his country's advantages..

[aurinko.]

That's so cool! But no wonder he did it - ayu is one of the most important parts of their economy :p

[ruixiong89]

This news has to do with the new approach Japan is adopting to boost its slumbering economy. Japan has decided to use 'soft' power to bring about a boost in its economy, hoping to use its cultural products such as manga, anime and Jpop to attract increased exports from its country to others. Getting away from hard marketing, they hope with the large media influence and market Japan has in other countries, they would be able to inject a lot more funds into Japan's economy.

Part of the reason Taro Aso is doing this is in line with his strategy to "get closer to the people". He himself has proclaimed that he is somewhat of an otaku as he is very into manga and anime.

As you can see, a Prime Minister doesn't endorse celebrities without numerous political motivations.

[Chef+Vanny]

Ayu is a global icon!!

[kendelle]

how cool! xDD Very glad to see her featured by the PM of Japan ^_^

That's some unique exposure~

[*Petit*]

Originally Posted by ruixiong89

This news has to do with the new approach Japan is adopting to boost its slumbering economy. Japan has decided to use 'soft' power to bring about a boost in its economy, hoping to use its cultural products such as manga, anime and Jpop to attract increased exports from its country to others. Getting away from hard marketing, they hope with the large media influence and market Japan has in other countries, they would be able to inject a lot more funds into Japan's economy.

I'd say it's about damn time they did. I have no idea why it hasen't happened before, maybe because of too much of an superiority/inferiority complex (America "always" being the ultimate goal??), or maybe it's much asier now that more markets are open to the japanese in the rest of asia, which is the most natural place for them to sell their culture abroad.

[wannajoin_Team Ayu]

he should know who ayu is
coz ayu pay him lots of tax and his salary every year

[Qt Mashi]

lol that;s funny, i wonder if Ayu will say anything about this

[SURREAL__RAINBOW]

ayu sells so shes good for the economy in japan

maybe the prime minister was checking out Ebay, Yesasia and Cdjapan and saw how much she sells in those lol


and our pockets know that she sells X___x

[Neferet]

oh, wow!! haha that's great!! Great promotion for ayu!

[Kazeyomi]

Lol, it's a good promotion for Ayu.

[Ayumi27]

Amazing!
Now it's time for an Ayu sculpture or monument in the Imperial Palace