Interest

Daily Video: Ex-Prime Minister Asō Pitches 'Moe Sake'

The online alcohol seller Wine Shop Sawaya has posted the above video with former Prime Minister Tarō Asō promoting "moesyu," which is sake branded with bishōjo — and bishōnen — characters. The Moesyu Tomulier brand is a collaborative effort by distilleries to attract the interest of younger drinkers. The "video letter" was shot to be shown at the "Moesyu Summit" in Akihabara on Sunday.

Rie Tanaka, Kanako Kondou, and Kaori Nazuka are among the voice actresses who contributed to the bishōjo characters drawn by Yoshikazu Tajima and featured on the sake. A "Tomulier 2nd" series features alcoholic drinks branded with bishōnen characters.

Asō is a self-proclaimed manga fan; he has been nicknamed "Rozen Aso" for his rumored interest in the manga Rozen Maiden, even though he himself has not said that he reads Rozen Maiden. As foreign minister, Asō proposed the establishment of a prize for foreign manga creators; during his run for prime minister, he campaigned in Akihabara. As prime minister, he went cherry blossom viewing with the female idol group AKB48, invoked Sailor Moon during a speech while on a visit to South Korea, and was linked to a proposed museum that detractors nicknamed the "national manga café."

Source: Akiba Keizai Shimbun