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"Alice Kuji," Sanriku Railway Co.'s train driver figurine (Photo courtesy of Tomytec)

KUJI, Iwate -- Sanriku Railway Co. has hosted a symposium on local revitalization using anime character figurines modeled on female employees from railway companies across Japan.

The "Tetsudo Musume" (Railway Girls) series, produced by toy manufacturer Tomytec, features female figurines wearing uniforms of local railways around the country. Among 38 kinds of characters in the series is "Alice Kuji," which is designed to be a female train driver for Sanriku Railway.

During the Sunday symposium, entitled "Zenkoku Tetsudo Musume Summit" (the National Railway Girls Summit), there were presentations by the Hakodate Transportation Bureau from Hokkaido and Noto Railway Co. from Ishikawa Prefecture, followed by a discussion by attendees including Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso.

"We want to apply the results (of the symposium) to the future," a Sanriku Railway official said.