Event Overview
Date: June 27, 2025, 8:30 PM JST Participants:
- Liberta Kubo (YuruCoin account operator)
- Mr. Nishi (Former YuruChara Grand Prix founder, current YuruVerse founder)
Major Topics
1. Current Status of YuruChara Grand Prix 2024
Rapid Growth in Entry Situation
Current entry numbers: Over 200 characters (still increasing)
Comparison with past years:
- Peak period (until 2020): 1,400 characters
- Last year: About 150 characters
- This year: Over 200 characters, significant increase
Entry Character Features
- Average age: 15 years (post-earthquake Kumamon boom generation)
- New participants: About 90% first-time entries
- Participation composition: New format with both municipalities and corporations
Event Details
- Final voting dates: September 27-28
- Venue: Sumida Park, Tokyo (at the foot of Skytree)
- Concept: “Chasing Two Rabbits” – Public-private integrated regional revitalization
2. Important Project Developments
Ranking Site Listings
- CoinMarketCap: Listing completed
- CoinGecko: Listing completed
- Significance: Established foundation for project credibility and awareness improvement
Exchange Listings
- Ascendex: Listed yesterday at 11 PM (second centralized exchange)
- B2Z: First exchange already listed
- Effects: Improved liquidity, easier trading, enhanced project evaluation
- Binance effect explanation: Mentioned as example of rapid price surges when listing on major exchanges
- Future: Additional exchange listings in progress, negotiations with multiple candidates ongoing
3. Detailed Background and Possibilities of China Expansion
Past Experience Cooperating with Chinese Government
2017 Chengdu Project
- Trigger: Director overseeing 200 CCP Japan countermeasure office staff directly visited Mr. Nishi’s office
- Political background: Period of intensifying US-China conflict under First Trump Administration
- Purpose: Public opinion formation toward President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Japan (state guest treatment) in March 2020
- Implementation: Held as “International Mascot Convention” in cooperation with Chengdu city government
- Results: Brought Kumamon and others locally, became major topic on Bilibili and Weibo
Translation Challenges
- Uniqueness of “yuru” concept: No appropriate translation exists in Chinese or English
- Cultural uniqueness: Japanese unique values that cannot be fully expressed by “Easy” or “Fuzzy”
- Final solution: Implemented using Chinese term “吉祥物” (auspicious object) as substitute
4. Trademark Rights and International Strategy Lessons
Challenges for Japanese Companies
- Island nation limitations: Satisfied with domestic market success, neglecting global expansion
- Cost-focused short-term thinking: Domestic-only trademark registration to reduce initial investment
Specific examples:
- Kumamon had trademark rights taken by third parties in China, re-registered as “熊本熊”
- Imabari towels also had trademarks registered in China
- i-mode’s failure to become iPhone due to similar inward-looking mentality
Music Industry Experience
- Uniqueness of Japanese market: World’s only market where $30 CDs sell 8 million copies
- Foreign acquisitions: Cases of Toshiba EMI, Universal Music
- Investor objectives: Acquisition strategy aimed at entering Japanese market
- Lesson: Importance of Global vs Domestic strategy
Current China Expansion Project
Specific Progress Status
- Partner companies: Chinese Web3 companies actively approaching
- Wealthy class interest: Strong desire to enter their own YuruChara
- Cultural characteristics: Compatibility between Chinese wealthy “bragging culture” and YuruCoin system
- Investment style: Holding cryptocurrency with same sense as real estate investment
Strategic Significance
- Economic effects: Market expansion through YuruCoin purchases by Chinese wealthy
- Cultural exchange: Significance as soft power diplomacy
- Geopolitical importance: Potential contribution to Japan-China relationship improvement
5. Project’s Deep Philosophy and Social Significance
Innovative Approach to Regional Revitalization
Meaning of “Chasing Two Rabbits” Strategy
- Traditional wisdom: “He who chases two rabbits catches neither”
- Mr. Nishi’s challenge: Deliberately targeting both public and private sectors simultaneously
- Meaning of numbers: Web3 (3) → Chasing two rabbits (2) → Grand Prix 1st place (1) = 321 entertainment wordplay
- Entertainment industry background: Producer-like thinking that emphasizes number arrangements and wordplay
New Form of Public-Private Integration
- Municipal participation: Traditional regional revitalization and tourism promotion
- Corporate participation: Fostering local company belonging and improving regional love
- Synergy effect: Companies and municipalities competing and cooperating on same platform
Cultural Significance and Value
Global Value of “Yuru” Culture
- Unique concept: Japanese unique values difficult to translate into other languages
- Peaceful message: Mr. Nishi’s “Missile Defense Theory” – countries busy with mascot costumes become less likely targets
- Soft power strategy: Japanese version of America’s Coca-Cola, hamburger, Disney strategy
Significance as International Cultural Diplomacy
- Realistic neighboring relations: Response to reality that “whether we like it or not, they’re next door”
- Philosophy of getting along now: Emphasizing current relationships over past problems
- Marine product import issues: Practical diplomatic contribution through YuruChara Grand Prix in Hong Kong
- Primary industry support: Supporting overseas expansion of primary industries that are foundation of regional revitalization
6. Media Attention and Social Response
Interest from News Organizations
- Newspaper interview: Interview from a certain newspaper about this year’s excitement
- Focus points:
- Why is it gaining spotlight again?
- Intent behind joint rankings of municipalities and corporations
- Media value: Topicality as unprecedented new initiative
Participant Enthusiasm
- Advantages of Tokyo hosting: Easy access location for local governments and companies
- Event coordination: Efficient participation combined with other events
- Venue appeal: Excellent location at Sumida Park at foot of Skytree
- Expected excitement: Participation and enthusiasm expected at highest level ever
7. Technical and Business Development Details
Strategic Importance of Ranking Site Listings
Establishing Credibility
- Minimum conditions: Standards for recognition as legitimate project
- Investor psychology: Anxiety about projects not listed
- Team dialogue: Clearing conditions necessary for listing
- Achievement in 4 months: Establishing foundation in short time since project start
Exchange Listing Strategy
Importance of Liquidity Improvement
- Ease of trading: Practical benefits for holders
- Meaning of volume: Project evaluation improvement through increased trading volume
- Gradual listing: B2Z → Ascendex → Further exchange expansion
- Future possibilities: Price impact examples when listing on Binance-level major exchanges
Multiple Exchange Strategy
- Risk diversification: Escape from single exchange dependence
- Global expansion: Expansion to major exchanges in each region
- Continuous negotiations: Parallel negotiations with multiple candidates in progress
8. Historical and Statistical Analysis of YuruChara
YuruChara Generational Theory
Background of Average Age 15
- Earthquake generation: Many characters born after 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake
- Kumamon effect: “Me too” phenomenon following 2011 YuruChara Grand Prix victory
- Significance of generational change: Industry vitalization through renewal
Changes in Entry Trends
- 90% new participants: Famous existing characters graduate, new faces predominant
- Non-participation of characters with established recognition: Tendency for characters with certain recognition not to re-enter
- Similarity to M-1 Grand Prix:
- Vacuum Jessica-type regular participants
- Reiwa Roman-type consecutive championship aims
- Freshness from massive new participant influx
9. Position in Japan’s Soft Power Strategy
Anime and Culture as Export Industries
- Current situation: Anime is export product second to automobiles
- Economic scale: Massive industry worth trillions of yen
- Global influence: Worldwide interest in Japanese culture
Uniqueness of YuruChara
- Differentiation from anime: Different position from existing anime culture
- Regional focus: Practical aspects directly connected to regional revitalization
- Participatory culture: From viewing culture to participating culture
10. Specific Future Prospects and Strategies
Short-term Goals (Next Week – This Year)
- Major announcement: Large-scale collaboration announcement scheduled for next week
- September event: Success of final voting event at Sumida Park
- Additional listings: Continuing negotiations with multiple exchanges
Medium-term Strategy (Next Year and Beyond)
- Full-scale China market entry: Starting concrete projects with Web3 companies
- International expansion model: Expansion possibilities to countries/regions beyond China
- Technical development: New entertainment forms utilizing blockchain technology
Long-term Vision
- Cultural diplomacy tool: Utilization for cultural diplomacy at government level
- Economic effects: Creating substantial economic effects for regional revitalization
- Global standard: Globalizing “yuru” culture as world standard
11. Community and Ecosystem
Diversification of Participant Base
- Municipalities: Regional revitalization staff, tourism department employees
- Companies: Local company executives, marketing staff
- Individual investors: YuruCoin holders
- Culture enthusiasts: YuruChara fans, Japanese culture lovers
Strategic Significance of Airdrops
- Community expansion: Acquiring new participants
- Engagement improvement: Activating existing community
- Project awareness: Information dissemination through Space participation
12. Technical Challenges and Solutions
Importance of Wallet Education
- Private wallet recommendation: Avoiding loss risks from exchange wallet use
- Specific recommended wallets: Phantom, BackPack, MetaMask
- User education: Careful explanation for cryptocurrency beginners
Reasons for Choosing Solana Chain
- Transaction speed: High-speed transaction processing
- Low fees: Low costs suitable for micro-transactions
- Ecosystem: Potential for cooperation with DeFi, NFT, etc.
Airdrop Information
- Target: Space participants
- Distribution amount: 5 YuruCoins
- Application method: Post Solana wallet address in Space reply section
- Important notes: Exchange addresses not allowed, private wallets required
- Deadline: Until 9:15 PM
- Distribution timing: Scheduled within next week
13. Space Operation Challenges and Future Improvements
Technical Troubles
- Start delays: Access problems due to link changes
- Audio quality: Some participants reported difficulty hearing
- Future measures: Building more stable streaming environment
Community Management
- Increased participants: Growing participants due to rising interest
- Information transmission: Improving reliable communication of important information
- Engagement: More bidirectional communication with participants
Comprehensive Significance and Prospects
Project Uniqueness
This YuruCoin/YuruVerse project is positioned as a multi-layered valuable initiative that greatly exceeds the framework of mere cryptocurrency projects. Its greatest feature is being closely connected to solving real-world cultural and social challenges, drawing a clear line from conventional DeFi and NFT projects.
Potential as Cultural Diplomacy
Particularly noteworthy is the realistic cultural diplomacy strategy based on Mr. Nishi’s rich international experience. Utilizing lessons from past cooperation with the Chinese government and global expansion in the music industry, it holds potential to communicate the uniquely Japanese value of “yuru” to the world. This can be called a new form of soft power diplomacy that transcends mere business expansion.
Substantial Contribution to Regional Revitalization
The public-private integrated regional revitalization approach presents a sustainable model that balances entertainment and practicality, rather than traditional subsidy-dependent types. The point where corporate regional love cultivation and municipal tourism promotion are realized on the same platform suggests a new paradigm for regional revitalization.
Fusion of Technology and Culture
The progressiveness of this project is represented by its focus on cultural value creation rather than technology itself, while utilizing blockchain technology. As an example of using Web3 possibilities for solving real social problems rather than speculative value creation, it can be said to be a suggestive initiative for the entire industry.
Future Expectations
Many notable developments are upcoming in the short term, including the September Sumida Park event, full-scale entry into the Chinese market, and the major announcement scheduled for next week. Depending on these results, YuruChara culture has the potential to become a true global standard and establish itself as a new cultural diplomacy tool originating from Japan.
This project is expected to develop greatly as an extremely unique and meaningful initiative where multiple elements – cryptocurrency, regional revitalization, international cultural exchange, and entertainment – are organically combined.
This article summarizes the content of the June 27th Space. Please take personal responsibility for investment decisions and technical details.
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