Tokyo chooses Doraemon for the 2020 Olympic Games

The Japanese cartoon character ‘Doraemon’, a cat robot from the 22nd century, created for an  ‘anime’ series in the 1970s, has been appointed as the new Ambassador of the candidacy of Tokyo to be the host of the Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2020, due to his “powerful reminder of the ability of Japan”.

Doraemon Tokio’s Ambassador 2020

The cosmic cat, which in 2008 was appointed as Ambassador of the nation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, embodies the Japanese fundamental values, such as respect, friendship, that are also the values of the Olympics.

Since its creation in 1969, the original Doraemon series has had a total of 1,344 episodes and is still a popular and well-known figure. In fact, he was elected as the best Asian anime character by ‘Times Asia’ magazine in April 2002.

The delegated advisor for Tokyo 2020, Masato Mizuno, explained the appointment. “The worldwide popularity of the Japanese ‘anime’, represented by ‘Doraemon’ is a powerful reminder of the ability of Japan to inspire young people. Also adds more credibility to our promise: deliver a dynamic celebration that reinforces the Olympic values and encourages young people to pursue their dreams through sport. We are thrilled to have our friend ‘Doraemon’ on our team,”he said.

‘Doraemon’ on our team,”he said.