In preparation for the start of the jury system–and jury duty–in Japan in 2009, the Ministry of Justice has been doing a little grass-roots campaigning. Given that Japan is a country where every one-horse town, product and movement has a character symbol, and even the “weak” (緩い) and the lame characters are embraced, the ministry thought it a good idea to secure the cooperation of its very own leader, the Minister of Justice, in spreading the word. Here is Hatayama Kunio strutting the Saiban-inko (サイバンインコ) costume, cutting edge-wear in participatory democracy. “Saiban” is trial, and “saiban-in” is a jury member. “Inko” is a parakeet:
In keeping with the pleasure principal of popular culture, I would like to suggest a few new pairings of characters with the jobs we have found them to cozy into, warm and fuzzy-like.
Vice-President Dick Cheney as King of Ghidorah
Sporting two legs, three heads, and bat-wings, this monster is known for its ability to withstand nearly anything, due to armored scales. The 3 heads allow for easy multi-tasking, as each emits a different shriek. Known to be easily mind-controlled, his wing lightning, developed in-house and field tested in desert conditions (see below), is especially useful for ‘enhanced interrogation.’
to be continued…
