A costume version of "Miyakojima Mamoru-kun", a famous island character that calls for traffic safety on the streets of Miyakojima in Okinawa Prefecture, was born and was shown to the people concerned.
"Miyakojima Mamoru-kun" had a hard time when he participated in events calling for traffic safety, such as loading it on a truck and carrying it, or having a police officer paint his face white and disguise himself.
That's where the costume version of "Pani Pani Mamoru-kun" was born.
Applause and laughter arose from the people who gathered when "Pani Pani Mamoru-kun" appeared at the unveiling held in front of the police box at Miyako Airport on the 1st.
Munenobu Nakasone, chief of the Miyakojima police station, said, "It is expected that the flow of people and cars will increase before the summer vacation season. I'm looking forward to traffic safety activities. "
Then, tourists arriving from Tokyo were handed a commemorative certificate showing that they witnessed the announcement.
The man who received the certificate said, "Mamoru-kun was very honored to know when he came to Miyakojima before and to witness the announcement."
Katsuichi Tomori, Chairman of the Miyako District Traffic Safety Association, said, "I hope that each and every one of us will follow the traffic rules with the appearance of Mamoru Panipani."
"Pani Pani" is a word from Miyakojima that means "genki".