On the 13th of January 2012, Japan Airlines (JAL) unveiled a Hello Kitty-themed “Hellosmile” Boeing 777-300 at Tokyo Haneda Airport. But unlike any other joint ventures, this one holds a deeper meaning. And no, JAL isn’t doing it “just because” it’s Hello Kitty.
JAL, TOKYO FM Broadcasting, and Sanrio Co. joined in the effort to promote cervical cancer awareness and prevention via “Hellosmile”. Sanrio selected Hello Kitty for the jetliner’s design concept on the plane’s body to represent “looking towards a bright future”.
On a more serious note, 3,500 women die annually and the statistic continues to increase among young women in Japan. At the launching ceremony held at Haneda airport in Tokyo, Mitsuaki Suzuki, a director of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology said, “We want more women to know that cervical cancer can be prevented with vaccines and medical check-ups.”
The special airplane with the orange-colored Hello Kitty logo painted on the body will fly on domestic routes, including those connecting Haneda, Sapporo and Fukuoka, until December 2012.
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