Hello Kitty: English or Japanese

A controversy is brewing about Hello Kitty’s citizenship, reported Atlantic Wire on 1 February. Is the “English” citizen actually Japanese? According to the official biography, Hello Kitty was born in London and her real name is the British-sounding Kitty White. But 38 years later comes the authorised publication of Hello Kitty’s Guide to Japan in English and Japanese, in which Hello Kitty’s family live in Japan, are fluent in Japanese, and practice the local culture. The report said neither the publishers nor the British Embassy Tokyo could immediately clarify the citizenship issue.