JAPAN BIZ: Japan sees surge in commemorative days for product promotion, awareness

Companies and industry groups in Japan are increasingly creating commemorative days to boost consumption and raise awareness of their products and causes.Such days provide annual opportunities to launch promotional campaigns and events to generate publicity by getting large numbers of people involved.A steady stream of new commemorative days has been created this year, many tied to number-related wordplay or historical milestones.Nori-Japan, a Tokyo-based group promoting the health benefits of seaweed, designated Sept. 6 as "Black Seaweed Day."The date is based on a Japanese wordplay linkin…READ FULL ARTICLE