Showcase of Japanese pop culture opens in Paris

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PARIS, July 2 Kyodo -
The annual Japan Expo opened in a Paris suburb Thursday for a four-day run with
the prospect of drawing a crowd of around 150,000, the biggest in the history
of the exhibition showcasing the country's pop culture.
The main feature of this year's expo, the 10th of its kind, comprises
collaborations between the private and public sectors with the participation of
Japanese government bodies as well as game and software companies.
In a segment called the Japan Pop Culture Festival, which Japan's Foreign
Ministry is co-sponsoring, pop culture ambassadors named by the ministry play
goodwill roles in fashion shows and various other events.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is involved in events associated
with the Japan International Contents Festival, where content from games,
films, animated films, comic books and music are put on display.
The Japan Tourism Agency is promoting its ''Visit Japan Campaign'' to help
boost the country's tourism industry.
Elsewhere, screenings of Japanese animated films and concerts, which have
become fixed events at the expo, will be held along with ''cosplay'' contests,
where participants are dressed up to look like characters from animation
products and games. In addition, traditional Japanese martial arts, plays and
flower arrangements, folk songs and classical Japanese dances, will be
performed live.
The first Japan Expo was held by Japanese pop culture enthusiasts in France in
July 2000, with about 3,200 people attending. Since then, the number of
participants has steadily increased and some 134,000 people attended last
year's expo.
==Kyodo