Kanji Meaning Tax Chosen As Best Characterizing 2014

KYOTO, JAPAN - DEC. 12: The kanji "zei" meaning tax was chosen as the single best Chinese character symbolizing this year's national ethos in Japan, a Kyoto-based kanji promotion organization said Friday, December 12. The word was chosen after people faced more burdens on their household budgets following the April 1 consumption tax increase. A series of "money and politics" scandals involving national and local politicians who decide how to use taxpayers' money also came to the surface. The selection of the word was based on votes cast by the general public. Among a total of 167,613 entries received this year, "zei" ranked top with 8,679 entries, according to the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation. At Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto where this year's kanji was announced, chief Buddhist priest Seihan Mori handwrote the winning character using a giant Japanese calligraphy brush on "washi," or Japanese paper, 1.5 meters high and 1.3 meters wide. The kanji that came in second was "netsu," or fever, following the Ebola virus disease outbreak mainly affecting West Africa and sports events such as the Sochi Winter Olympics. Third place went to "uso," meaning a lie. The results "underscored that the public has a severe view of the tax issue," Mori said.
KYOTO, JAPAN - DEC. 12: The kanji "zei" meaning tax was chosen as the single best Chinese character symbolizing this year's national ethos in Japan, a Kyoto-based kanji promotion organization said Friday, December 12. The word was chosen after people faced more burdens on their household budgets following the April 1 consumption tax increase. A series of "money and politics" scandals involving national and local politicians who decide how to use taxpayers' money also came to the surface. The selection of the word was based on votes cast by the general public. Among a total of 167,613 entries received this year, "zei" ranked top with 8,679 entries, according to the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation. At Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto where this year's kanji was announced, chief Buddhist priest Seihan Mori handwrote the winning character using a giant Japanese calligraphy brush on "washi," or Japanese paper, 1.5 meters high and 1.3 meters wide. The kanji that came in second was "netsu," or fever, following the Ebola virus disease outbreak mainly affecting West Africa and sports events such as the Sochi Winter Olympics. Third place went to "uso," meaning a lie. The results "underscored that the public has a severe view of the tax issue," Mori said.
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Editorial #:
460598396
Collection:
Kyodo News
Date created:
12 December, 2014
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Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
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Kyodo News
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14-12-12-1-6.mov