The virtual YouTuber Kizuna Ai has made Newsweek Japan’s list of “100 globally respected Japanese people.” In the magazine, she is described as follows: “Virtual Youtuber. Has been active since 2016. She first became a sensation among viewers outside Japan, such as in Korea, before finding popularity in Japan. In March 2018 she was appointed ambassador of Japan National Tourism Organization’s (JNTO) tourism campaign. Her videos introduce appealing aspects of Japanese culture and tourism spots.”
Other anime-related figures who made the list include the Detective Conan creator Gosho Aoyama, One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, Goku’s voice actress Masako Nozawa, and fictional character Sailor Moon from Naoko Takeuchi‘s manga of the same name. Video game-related additions were professional gamer Daigo Umehara, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima, and former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. Music groups Babymetal and Maximum The Hormone also made the list, along with fictional character Sadako from the classic horror film Ring.
The April 30 edition of Newsweek Japan went on sale on April 23.