Japan’s leading manufacturer names 12th spokesperson.

Celebrity endorsements are one of Japan’s favorite marketing strategies, so much so that it’s actually more unusual for a major promotional campaign to not have some sort of star power attached to it. That’s not just for luxury goods, either, as you’ll see famous spokespeople attached to such humble products as shampoo and canned coffee.

Oh, and condoms too.

Japanese prophylactic maker Sagami Rubber Industries has named its 12th “promotional ambassador,” and the newest holder of the one-year position is popular gravure model Airi Shimizu (who we last saw working a shift at the Senran Kagura-themed ramen restaurant). Specifically, Shimizu will be promoting the ultra-thin Sagami Original 002, a polyurethane condom with a thickness of just 0.02 millimeters (0.00079 inches).

The 27-year-old was announced as Sagami’s newest condom ambassador earlier this month, and the staff at the associated photo shoot, which took place just a few days before her December 17 birthday, surprised her with a cake to celebrate.

In addition to her modeling, Shimizu has made multiple appearances on TV variety and talk shows, where the Osaka native has increased her fanbase by showing off her Kansai (west-central Japan) accent. A former youth karate tournament champion, Shimizu is also known for her “virgin-killing karate” routine.

▼ The name seems to follow the logic of Japan’s “virgin-killing sweater” in that it’s likely to excite young men, not that Shimizu goes around executing guys who’re yet to consummate their love with her bare hands.

▼ We’re sure many people will be spending a lot of time looking at this photo, because how can you not stare at the discrepancy of one Sagami Original logo being reversed and the other not?

Of course, no matter how fond fans may be of Shimizu, and thus ready to accept her recommendation, they will still need to find someone else to enjoy their Sagami Originals with…and should they be unable to, at least there’s another company in Japan ready to step in.

Source: Twitter/@airishimizu via IT Media
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