MIYAGI (TR) – Despite complaints, the governor of Miyagi Prefecture said on Monday that a provocative promotional video uploaded to YouTube (see below) and starring gravure idol Mitsu Dan will not be removed, reports Sankei Shimbun (July 24).
“It aims to maximize the appeal of the voluptuous Mitsu Dan, who shows Miyagi is cool even during the summer,” said prefectural governor Yoshihiro Murai at a press conference.
The 2.5-minute video, titled “Nice and cool: Miyagi in summer,” features Dan, 36, and a mascot presenting local products and tourist destinations in the prefecture for a special promotional campaign that runs through September. The clip also features some sexually charged scenes, including Dan seductively parting her lips and the mascot, seemingly aroused, spurting blood from its nose.
On Friday, seven female members of the Miyagi prefectural assembly claimed the video was sexist, and requested that it be removed. In a letter sent to the deputy governor, they said that the video, whose budget of 23 million yen came from donations for the revival of the area following the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, will not encourage people to visit Miyagi.
Results speak for themselves
Murai added on Monday that the results — the video has been viewed over 2.3 million times — speak for themselves. The video, he said, has garnered 30 to 40 times more interest than most sightseeing promotional videos.
However, the governor did indicate that the video wil be removed at some point. “If there are people [who find the video] uncomfortable, we will from now consider [a time to suspend it].”
