A traditional doll maker that unveils new figures featuring prominent newsmakers each year has chosen the governors of Tokyo and Osaka, two prefectures with high numbers of novel coronavirus cases, this time as a gesture of hope for an end to the pandemic.
Tokyo-based Kyugetsu Co. revealed the hina dolls of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, 68, and Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura, 45, on Wednesday at its headquarters ahead of Girls' Day on March 3.
In Japan, hina dolls, representing an emperor, empress and their attendants wearing the court dress of the Heian period (794-1185), are traditionally displayed by families with girls to celebrate the Girls' Day festival each spring.
Kyugetsu decided to feature the two governors "in the hope that they can suppress the virus and lead us back to our normal daily lives soon," said a company spokesperson.
The firm also revealed dolls representing U.S. President Joe Biden, 78, and Vice President Kamala Harris, 56, "in the hopes they will restore order to the world."
The dolls will be displayed at the company's headquarters until Friday.
