Nara to Abolish Usage Fees for Sento-kun Mascot

June 14, 2018

Nara- The Nara prefectural government said Wednesday that it will make the use of Sento-kun, the official mascot of the western Japan prefecture, free of charge from August.

The Nara government, which currently collects 3 pct fees from the use of the character, hopes that the charge-free measure will encourage many companies to use the Sento-kun character in their goods and services and, thus, promote the prefecture, known for a number of historical sites including World Heritage properties.

The prefectural government has seen royalties from the use of the character declining along with its popularity.

"We expect Sento-kun to become popular again and be used more widely," Nara Governor Shogo Arai told a press conference. "We wish recognition of our prefecture will rise."

Sento-kun, a Buddha boy with deer horns, was created in 2008 and attracted public attention as the mascot for a 2010 festival to mark the 1,300th year since the transfer of Japan's ancient capital to Nara. "Sento" means relocation of the capital.

The royalties dropped to 1.6 million yen in fiscal 2017, which ended in March, after peaking at some 49 million yen in fiscal 2010. Jiji Press