皮卡丘和凱蒂貓成日本文化大使，只爲申辦世博會！
Japan's foreign minister has appointed Pokemon's Pikachu and the famed cartoon cat Hello Kitty as cultural ambassadors in a bid to bring the 2025 World Expo to the country.
爲了使日本獲得2025年世博會的舉辦權，日本外交部長任命神奇寶貝中的皮卡丘和著名的卡通貓咪形象凱蒂貓爲文化大使。
Foreign Minister Taro Kono announced the new ambassadors in a Tweet, attaching a photo showing him handing the characters letters of appointment on Tuesday.
日本外交部長河野太郎在推特上公佈了新的文化大使，並附上了他在星期二把委任書交給它們的照片。
The country is hoping that the port city of Osaka will be chosen as the host for the 2025 World Exposition.
日本希望港口城市大阪能被選爲2025年世博會的舉辦城市。
The characters will be used for pamphlets and gifts to promote the city's bid as it competes against Saclay in the suburbs of Paris, the central Russian city of Yekaterinburg and the Azerbaijan capital Baku.
大阪在與巴黎市郊的薩克萊、俄羅斯中心城市葉卡捷琳堡以及阿塞拜疆的首都巴庫競爭2025年世博會的舉辦權，而這兩個卡通形象將被用於製作宣傳冊和禮品來推廣這座城市。
'I would like for you to represent Japan and proactively (promote) the attraction of Osaka inside and outside of the country,' Kono told the characters.“
我希望你們能代表日本，積極地在國內外宣傳大阪的魅力，”河野太郎對這兩個卡通形象說道。
The World Expo takes place every five years and focuses on raising awareness and building solutions to global challenges.
世博會每五年舉辦一次並以提高人們對全球性挑戰的認識及構建相應的解決方案爲重點。
In November 2018, the host of the 2025 expo will be announced between the four contenders.
2018年11月將從四個競爭城市中公佈2025年世博會的主辦方。
Soccer star Keisuke Honda and 2012 Nobel Prize winner Shinya Yamanaka will also be named as special ambassadors.
足球明星本田圭佑和2012年諾貝爾獎得主山中伸彌也將被任命爲特別大使。
Osaka last held the event in 1970, and in 2005, Japan's Aichi Prefecture was the host. The 2020 expo will be held in Dubai.
大阪上一次舉辦世博會是在1970年，2005年世博會的主辦城市是日本愛知縣，而2020年世博會將在迪拜舉行。
This isn't the first time Hello Kitty has been named an ambassador - the feline was declared the Japanese Ambassador for Tourism in China in 2008.
這並不是凱蒂貓第一次被任命爲大使，2008年這隻貓咪就被宣佈爲日本在中國的旅遊大使。
