Since 1980, Yuko Yamaguchi has designed Hello Kitty—officially a little girl from London, not a cat—guiding her rise as Japan’s iconic symbol of “kawaii” soft power.

It’s hard to find artwork more eminently huggable than Masako Miki’s furry creations. Part 1970s lounge furniture, part “Monsters, Inc.” character design, the ungainly-yet-cute bloboids beg for a pat ...

Cats are beloved in Japan, as they have been for thousands of years. From old mythological tales of feline yokai like the smart shape-shifting bakeneko to the Hello Kitties and lucky maneki-nekos of ...