December 01, 2017, 06:01 PM 
Japan's diplomat corps recently gained two new famous colleagues who are beloved worldwide.
On Nov. 29, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono announced on Twitter that he had officially appointed Hello Kitty's Kitty and Pokémon's Pikachu as Ambassadors.
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
Kitty and Pikachu are tasked with raising the profile of Osaka City as a candidate for hosting the World Expo in 2025. The other candidates are Paris, France, Ekaterinburg, Russia and Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Japanese are no stranger to using their beloved cultural icons to promote Japan's image around the world.
In 2016, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared in costume as Mario from Super Mario during the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The next Olympics will take place in Tokyo in 2020.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="522"]
Gif from Deviantworld.[/caption]
World Expo
The World Expo comes around once every five years, a well-attended international event where countries get to show off their various achievements. The previous World Expo was in Milan, Italy while the next one will be in Dubai, the UAE.
Singapore was previously involved in the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, with its pavilion earning its own article on Wikipedia.
SHANGHAI, CHINA - APRIL 26: (CHINA OUT) The illuminated Singapore Pavilion is seen at the site of Shanghai 2010 World Expo on April 26, 2010 in Shanghai, China. The World Expo will be held from May 1 through October 31, 2010, which is expected to attract about 70 million visitors. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)
According to the article:
"The Singapore pavilion showcased Singapore's achievements in urban planning, water technology and environmental services while promoting closer people-to-people relations between China and Singapore."
If Singapore does end up building a pavilion in Osaka in 2025, we'll have Hello Kitty and Pikachu to thank.
Top image from Twitter.
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