Japanese all-girl pop group AKB48 pledged Thursday to improve the country's image in China as official supporters of upcoming promotional events. A campaign aimed at promoting the safety of Japanese products following the March natural catastrophe and subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster will kick off in Beijing on Feb. 16.
''We're hoping to make people happy in the disaster-stricken areas and throughout Japan as much as possible,'' AKB member Tomomi Itano said in a meeting with Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, who formally appointed the group as the campaign's official promoter. The campaign, named ''Vibrant Japan,'' is part of a series of events to be held in China this year to mark the 40th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral diplomatic relations. AKB48 members will also attend campaign events to be held in Shanghai and Hong Kong in February and March, respectively. Gemba, a native of Fukushima Prefecture, said China is an ''important country'' for Japan and that the group's popularity will help increase the number of tourists to Japan and prevent the spread of misinformation about the safety of Japanese products. The inauguration ceremony at the Foreign Ministry was attended by Itano and two others of the nearly 100-member group, Rie Kitahara and Yui Yokoyama.
Published on Friday, 03 February 2012
