World | Hello Kitty Hello, China: Meet Japan's New Envoy Japan tabs pop icon to bring in visitors from China By Nick McMaster Posted May 19, 2008 8:00 PM CDT Copied Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Tetsuzo Fuyushiba shakes hands with kimono-clad Hello Kitty as South Korean singer Younha looks on at his office in Tokyo Monday, May 19, 2008. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Hello Kitty has been tapped as Japan’s cultural envoy to China, the AP reports. Japan’s ministry of tourism chose the über-popular icon to represent the country in its drive to attract 10 million annual visitors to the islands. Last year, tourists from China and Hong Kong made up 16.5% of Japan's 8.35 million overseas visitors. Read These Next Trump offers a solution to end the government shutdown. Kid Rock has added the R-word to the list of slurs he still uses. Man wakes from coma, says girlfriend crashed car on purpose. Poster freed after a month in jail over Trump meme. Report an error