Putin’s 2019 Calendar Bestseller in Japan

The Russian President Vladimir Putin seems shaping the destiny of world politics in 2019 if not so, he is for the timing being shaping to be a banner year, as calendars featuring the Russian strongman taking a shirtless dip in a hot tub, flexing his muscles at the gym and playing with his pets are selling like hot cake in Japan, making it the number 1 most purchased planner in the country.

The calendar named as 365 days of Putin is more popular than calendars featuring some of the Asian island’s biggest celebrities including television heartthrob Kei Tanaka, whose calendar ranks second and two time Japanese Olympic skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu, who ranks third in sales.

The Putin calendar features snaps of the Russian President hitting the ice in the hockey gear and clad in sunglasses as he casually cycles through a park. It also highlights his more sensitive and emotional side with pictures of him playing in the snow with his beloved pet dogs.

The Putin centric year planner is part of a celebrity-themed collection sold by The Loft chain store, which started selling calendars three years ago. The Loft chain store also holds exclusive rights over sales of the calendar.

This is not the first time Russia’s 66-year-old President Putin’s calendars have proved a hit with Japanese consumers in the run-up to the New Year. His 2017 calendar featured photos of playing in the snow with his dogs, including an Akita Inu puppy, which was a gift from the governor of Akita from northern Japan to thank Russia for its help after the March 2011 triple disaster in Japan.

In 2016, when the officially sanctioned calendars went on sale in Japan for the first time, Putin was shown fishing shirtless and was seen practicing judo. Media reports from Japan suggested people including a large number of women are buying the calendars, as they are drawn to Putin’s unconventional lifestyle and unashamed machismo.

Though it is not yet clear how Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is reacting to his Russian counterpart’s new found celebrity status. Despite their reputed personal rapport, both the leaders have failed to solve a long-standing dispute over ownership of a group of islands known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Kurils in Russia and that is the reason why the two nations have not yet signed a World War Two peace treaty.

Recently Russia has also started building new barracks for its troops on the disputed island chain, a move that has angered Tokyo, which has been repeatedly urging Moscow to reduce its military activity in the region.

According to some reports, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may visit Russia next month in order to push to end the territorial dispute between the two nations and take a step towards signing a post-war peace treaty.