Character meaning new chosen as kanji of the year

People in Japan have chosen the kanji character meaning "new" as the one that best describes the highs and lows of this year.

A foundation promoting the use of kanji announced the winner on Friday. The character was chosen from among a record 16,000 entries.

The chief priest of Kyoto's Kiyomizu Temple wrote the character with a brush and black ink in traditional calligraphy style.

People who voted for the character apparently had in mind the outbreak of the new influenza and the launch of new governments in Japan and the United States.

Voters may also have been thinking of Seattle Mariners player Ichiro Suzuki's new Major League Baseball record of 9 consecutive 200-hit seasons.

The second-place character was one meaning "drug" or "medicine," due again to the influenza epidemic as well as drug abuse scandals involving TV celebrities.

The character for "politics" came in 3rd, reflecting Japan's change of government and high voter turnout.