Beloved mascot Kumamon’s absence since quakes spurs Japan Twitter traffic

by Shoko Oda


Kumamoto mascot Kumamon has been missing in the wake of last week’s devastating earthquakes in Kyushu, spurring concern on social media for its safety as well as criticism for the prefectural government’s failure to use the furry animal’s network to share information.

Kumamon is a round-faced bear about 1.5 meters tall tasked with promoting tourism and local products. It has more than 460,000 followers on its official feed.

However, it hasn’t sent a tweet since Thursday, when it said it was looking forward to the 2019 Rugby World Cup. That night a magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck the region.

In the days since, some Twitter followers have expressed concern for the bear’s safety, while others criticized Kumamoto for not utilizing the account to disperse information about the quake.

“Kumamon, it was a big earthquake with lots of aftershocks, so it must have been a restless night. I pray for the safety of Kumamon and everyone else,” wrote someone with the user name harunohaha.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/04/19/national/beloved-mascot-kumamons-absence-since-quakes-spurs-japan-twitter-traffic/