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Japan's toy manufacturer Ogawa Rubber employee Yuka Nomura paints an eye on a rubber mask of US President-elect Barack Obama at the company's factory in Saitama city, suburban Tokyo. For those who just can't get enough of US president-elect Barack Obama, a Japanese mask-maker is giving thousands of people the chance to be his spitting image.
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For those who just can't get enough of US president-elect Barack Obama, a Japanese mask-maker is giving thousands of people the chance to be his spitting image.
Ogawa Rubber Inc., Japan's top rubber mask studio, is moving into high gear and is manufacturing more than 300 masks of the next US president each day ahead of his inauguration on January 20.
"We sold as many as 2,500 faces of Obama in a month. It was a great hit for us," said Takahiro Yagihara, chief creator for the mask-maker based in the Tokyo suburb of Saitama.
"I've seen a couple of Obama faces made in the United States, but ours is the best," he boasted. "We hope somebody will don our Obama mask at his inauguration."
Yagihara's studio has created a variety of rubber masks, not only those of politicians but also the faces of cartoon characters and sumo wrestlers as well as the head of a bronze Buddha statue.
One of its most successful masks was Japan's former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi. The company sold 3,500 masks of the － lion-maned leader.
But Koizumi's successor Shinzo Abe was a flop, selling only about 600 masks. Abe quit after one year in office after an election rout.
The studiodid not even bother making masks of Abe's sombre successor, Yasuo Fukuda. But it has found a hit in incumbent Prime Minister Taro Aso.
"Aso has also suffered from low approval ratings, but at least he's got character," Yagihara said, looking at a mask bearing Aso's trademark grin.
Aso, who took office in September, had first enjoyed high popularity in part thanks to the strategy of selling a soft image of liking cartoons.
But his support rate has slumped to 20 percent as voters question his handling of the financial crisis in the world's second-largest economy.
Yagihara, who keeps an eagle eye out for new masks, saw dim prospects among other Japanese politicians.
"I don't see any face among Japanese politicians that would match Obama's," he said.
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(Agencies)
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对于那些还没过够“奥巴马瘾”的人来说，现在有个好机会，日本一家面具生产商能让你一尝扮成奥巴马的滋味。
日本知名橡胶面具生产商“小川橡胶公司”目前正全力以赴，在奥巴马就职即本月20日之前，每天赶制出300多个奥巴马面具。
位于东京郊区崎玉市的小川橡胶公司的主设计师Takahiro Yagihara说：“我们一个月内就卖了2500个奥巴马面具，这可是个大丰收。”
他自豪地说：“我见过美国制造的几款奥巴马面具，但都不如我们的。我们希望在奥巴马就职典礼上能看到有人戴着我们的面具。”
Yagihara的公司制造过各种橡胶面具，不仅包括政界名流，还有卡通人物、相扑高手以及青铜佛像的面具。
其中最成功的产品之一是日本前首相小泉纯一郎的面具，这位善于浮夸作态的领导人的面具共售出3500个。
但小泉的继任者安倍晋三的面具销量却很糟糕，仅售出约600个。安倍任职一年后便在一次选举失利后辞职。
这家公司甚至没生产安倍晋三的继任者---性格沉闷的福田康夫的面具。但比之下，还是现任首相麻生太郎的面具销量最好。
Yagihara看着麻生太郎的一个带着招牌式露齿笑容的面具说：“麻生太郎也受到了支持率走低的困扰，但至少他很有个性。”
麻生太郎于今年九月出任日本首相，刚上任时人气颇高，而这一部分要归功于麻生玩偶的热销。
但由于选民不满其处理此次世界第二大经济危机的表现，他的支持率已跌至20%。
Yagihara一直密切关注新的面具人选，但他认为日本政界其他人士面具的市场前景并不看好。
他说：“我觉得日本政界人士面具的受欢迎程度都比不上奥巴马面具。”
（实习生许雅宁 英语点津姗姗编辑）
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