The 102 newspapers belonging to the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association are running an advertisement Wednesday to promote reading newspapers and having breakfast with the family.
The theme of the advertisement, paid for by the association and the Japan Agriculture group, is "Newspapers for Brain, Food for Body." The ad features an illustration by famed manga artist Shigeru Mizuki with characters from his "Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro" monster manga — Kitaro, Medama Oyaji (Eyeball Father), Neko Musume (Cat Girl), Nezumi Otoko (Rat Man) — and Mizuki himself.
The characters eat breakfast and Mizuki reads a newspaper in the ad. Mizuki says, "I eat slowly and read a lot in the morning."
This is the third time the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association is running ads to emphasize the influence newspapers and their ads have on the public.