Kitty in Asakusa
In Japan, a lot of cartoon characters are used for promotion and marketing or even corporate documents.
Public sections, like Asakusa district, are motivated to use them as an ambassador, and have been created a lot of Yuru-Kyara's
Yuru-Kyara in Google
Among all characters, Hello Kitty is one of the most famous and loved characters, not because she's born in Japan but because she's keeping her cuteness for years.

Pic: http://goo.gl/PtxWx