If ever a region needed a superhero to save the day, then disaster-affected areas in Miyagi Prefecture will soon find a multitude at their service.
To encourage residents, the Miyagi International Hero Summit 2012 will be held in the hard-hit cities of Sendai, Matsushima and Ishinomaki, officials said.
The three-day event will kick off on Aug. 19 and bring together superheroes from manga, anime, television and film, in addition to their creators, the officials said.
The event is aimed at promoting the benefits of the areas, in addition to serving as a project to support disaster relief efforts in the prefecture from last year's Great East Japan Earthquake. The organizers are hoping that the event will attract thousands of visitors and revitalize local economies.
Details of the event were announced June 5 at a press conference held at the Miyagi prefectural government offices. In addition to Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai, lawmaker and event executive producer Shintaro Ito, event producer Yoichi Komatsuzawa, Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc. Executive Officer Noriaki Sano and others joined the press conference.
Other guests included Ultraman, Miyagi-based local superhero Miraigar and Miyagi's mascot Musubimaru.
To celebrate the launch of the summit, it was announced that 1,000 children in Ishinomaki are invited to a special screening of Sony Pictures' new hit film "The Amazing Spider-Man."
In addition, the first set of winners of the Matsushima Hero Creators Awards 2012 were announced.
The special achievement award was given to Tsuburaya Productions Co., which has specialized in producing "tokusatsu" (live action) superhero shows and movies with traditional special effects involving miniatures and diorama sets for the past 50 years.
Other winners included leading anime song singer Ichiro Mizuki, anime art director Nizo Yamamoto and tokusatsu film director Keita Amemiya.
The South Korean city of Bucheon was also recognized for its concerted efforts to promote itself through cultural content.
The award ceremony will be held on Aug. 19.
More details of the summit will be updated at the official website at (http://www.miyagihero.jp/index.html).
- « Prev
- 1
- Next »
