JETRO Promotes Japanese Pop Culture in Cairo

Cairo, Feb. 7 (Jiji Press)–The Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO, has opened an event to promote Japanese pop culture in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. The two-day event from Friday is designed to showcase the charm of Japanese anime, manga and others to young people in Africa, whose population is growing, and allow participating Japanese companies to feel the African market’s large potential. It was the first time for JETRO to hold an event focused on pop culture. The event brought together 16 Japanese companies and organizations, including entertainment business Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. and musical instrument maker Yamaha Corp. The event is expected to attract some 3,000 people. Among young Egyptians, matcha green tea drinks such as latte are popular. Moeto Furukawa, an official of Japanese green tea beverage maker Ito En Ltd., which opened a workshop, said that he felt the popularity of matcha is stronger than expected. But he said there were moments when he was asked, “Is matcha Japanese?” Such insufficient recognition is “regrettable,” but at the same time, “there is a chance to promote it,” Furukawa said. An official of stationery maker Pentel Co. said that visitors showed high interest in painting materials because there are many anime fans. Shigeyo Nishizawa, head of JETRO’s Cairo office, said there is a wide gap between strong demand for Japanese pop culture from African young people and actual supply, showing expectations for the “large market” of Africa. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]