Pikachu gets his highest honor yet, becomes Japan city ambassador
Turns out those speaking skills came in handy for Pikachu after all.
The famous Pokémon has been appointed ambassador for the Japanese city of Osaka, Taro Kono, Japan's minister for foreign affairs announced in a tweet.
At the ceremony, Kono also appointed Hello Kitty to the role.
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Pikachu is the leading character of the Pokémon series, and Sanrio's Hello Kitty has been a beloved icon for decades.
People are psyched -- it seems, mostly about Pikachu's new title.
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Kono's publicity stunt is all part of Japan's bid to have Osaka host the World Expo 2025.
It's up against three others for the bid: Paris, France; Yekaterinburg, Russia; and Baku, Azerbaijan. The Expo is held every five years, and Dubai is up next in 2020.
The winner for 2025 will be announced in November next year.
Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
