JAPAN TRENDS



 

If you thought Piko Taro was silly enough when he made his viral hit Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen, you were probably surprised when he started appearing in mainstream TV commercials.

You were probably then shocked when he teamed up with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike to promote low-energy LED light bulbs. (Yes, the governor really did dance with Piko Taro.)

So your jaw may just hit the flow with this new development..
The latest sap to hire Piko Taro is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) with this bizarre video to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a UN initiative.

 

The new take on PPAP is Public Private Action for Partnership, which is quite a mouthful to say, even for Piko Taro (though his enunciation of “sustainable development goals” is curiously good).

Yes, this really is a government-funded PR campaign. He replaces the original song’s signature grunting noise with “UN.”

“I have an apple. I have a pineapple. UN. No poverty. I have a pen. I have a book. UN. Education.” And so it goes on.

https://youtu.be/H5l9RHeATl0

Okay, at what point is there an official decision on when the shark has been jumped? At the 2020 Olympics opening ceremony?