Cat appointed stationmaster in Japan

A calico cat named Yontama was appointed Wednesday the third feline stationmaster of a local Japanese railway station, continuing an almost two-decade tradition that has boosted tourism and helped rescue the line from financial difficulties while sparking similar moves by other rail operators, Kyodo News writes.

During a ceremony at Kishi Station on Wakayama Electric Railway Co.’s Kishigawa Line, the railway company also introduced its latest feline apprentice recruit, Rokutama.

New stationmaster Yontama’s predecessor Nitama, also a calico cat, died in November last year and has been named honorary stationmaster.

The Kishigawa Line drew nationwide attention after it named a cat, Tama, its first feline stationmaster in 2007, successfully attracting tourists from home and abroad to stay financially afloat. This sparked a trend of other struggling local railways appointing cats, dogs, rabbits and other animals as stationmasters across Japan.