Chinese character meaning "tax" selected as kanji of year in Japan

TOKYO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese character or kanji "zei," which means tax, was chosen as kanji of the year that best summarizes the year's national mood in Japan, a Kyoto-based organization announced Tuesday.

According to the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Association, the kanji for tax was selected because of tax hikes and cuts being heavily covered in news and discussed among policymakers, with many feeling anxious about the increasing prices of gas and everyday goods.

On the day, the kanji character was written with a giant calligraphy brush on a roughly 1.5-meter-high, 1.3-meter-wide sheet of Japanese washi paper by chief Buddhist priest Seihan Mori of the renowned Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto.

The 29th annual selection was based on votes cast by the general public. It was the second time the kanji for tax has been selected as kanji of the year following 2014.

The kanji-of-the-year selection event has been held annually since 1995.