Japan city faces criticism for promotional stunt using ‘extremely expensive’ sex doll

An official in a prefecture in Japan used a sex doll to promote an event about the traditional indigo dyeing art of the place.

A city in Japan is facing criticism and an audit after a government official purchased an ‘extremely expensive’ sex doll to promote tourism. As per reports, the official bought a doll worth $2,800 to use as part of a tourist exhibition on traditional indigo-dyeing art.

The purchase of a sex doll by an official of a Japanese prefecture to promote tourism has initiated an audit (representational image). (File Image)

The incident took place in a prefecture in Japan called Tokushima, reports local daily Mainichi. The sex doll, dressed in garments dyed with indigo, was set up in an airport. This was done to advertise the ‘aizome’ or traditional indigo-dyeing art of the place.

Back in 2017, the officials rented two mannequins that cost around US$180 for the same event, as per reports. This year, however, an official got the sex doll and argued that it would be a crowd-pleaser. This incident ended up initiating an audit.

According to the case report published by Mainichi, the auditors dismissed the prefecture’s claims about the sex doll attracting more tourists. They also expressed that the purchase of the ‘extremely expensive’ doll is ‘grossly inappropriate in terms of social norms’. They further added that the use of this adult doll ‘would never gain citizens' understanding’.

“While this is a case from before my tenure as governor, as the figure in charge of appointments, I will take the audit results seriously and handle them in a strict manner,” the prefecture’s governor, Masazumi Gotoda, reports the Mainichi.