Three daughters of the late Gin-san, one of Japan's famous centenarian twins, will appear in a TV commercial to be aired from September as a part of the Aichi Prefectural Government's traffic safety campaign.
Chitayo Tsuda, 94, Yuriko Sano, 92, and Mineyo Kanie, 89 — have been appointed poster girls to raise awareness among drivers and pedestrians in Aichi Prefecture, which recorded the most traffic deaths in the nation last year for the 10th year in a row.
With twin sister Kin Narita, Gin Kanie was popular in the 1990s as a symbol of elderly Japanese.
On Monday, Gin's daughters, together with 8-year-old child actress Seiran Kobayashi, who will also feature in the spot, visited the office of Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura to discuss traffic safety.
Mineyo Kanie, who still drives, stressed the need to warn elderly residents to be more cautious. "There are also many elderly people who do not obey traffic rules," Kanie said.
The three sisters were also appointed "the oldest campaign girls" for the Aichi Prefectural Government's anti-crime campaign last year. They appeared in a TV commercial and participated in other activities to warn the elderly about illegal scams.
According to Aichi prefectural officials, there were 235 traffic fatalities last year, the most in Japan. More than 50 percent of people killed in traffic accidents were aged 65 or older. Most were killed while crossing the street.