The awards ceremony for the "Japan Character Awards 2026," which recognizes the most successful characters and properties in the licensing business, was held on June 17th at Tokyo Big Sight (Koto Ward, Tokyo). It was announced that "Chiikawa," a character popular in manga and anime, was selected as the grand prize winner. This marks Chiikawa's third consecutive grand prize win, and it was also announced that she will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The "Japan Character Awards" (formerly the "Character & Brand of the Year") were established in 2009 to widely communicate the value of the licensing business industry to society and to contribute to the healthy development of the industry.
This year, "Chiikawa" won the Grand Prix, and "Chiikawa," "Tamagotchi," and "Monchhichi" received the Character Licensing Award, "Mojojojo" received the New Face Award, "Bonbon Drop Seal" and "Ultra Monster Goes to the Steel Tower" received the Product Licensing Award, Kiddyland Shinjuku Store received the Retail Award, and Myakumyaku, the official character of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, and Narumiya Characters received the Special Selection Committee Award.
