Rica Matsumoto, the voice actor known for the role of Satoshi in the Pocket Monsters anime, was appointed as a Cool Japan Ambassador and received a letter of appointment from Naokazu Takemoto, the Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy in Tokyo on October 21st, 2019.

The Cool Japan Ambassador is an effort to help people with international communication skills, such as foreigners who like Japan and Japanese who are active overseas, to cooperate in disseminating information on Japan's appeal and culture. 47 people, including Matsumoto, have been appointed, many of whom are international experts in the fields of food and tourism, which helps to further expansion of Japan's fans.

Regarding the reason for Matsumoto's appointment, Minister Takemoto explained the role of the main character Satoshi in the popular anime Pocket Monsters is important and that, "Since she's world famous and has many fans who are children, we want to increase the number of people who are fans of Japan." Matsumoto was enthusiastic about getting the job and said, “I hope everyone will understand the Japanese culture and it connects the world with a smile!”

Matsumoto, after receiving the letter of appointment, said, “When I received the certificate, I felt like I was "doing my best!” and I felt touched and started to cry a bit."

In recent years, Matsumoto has been an active singer and has performed overseas. Since the anime Pocket Monsters has many theme songs, it is highly recognized both in Japan and abroad. "It's amazing that people from overseas can sing in Japanese. I try to remember and speak the language of the country I'm in, but everyone says "Speak in Japanese." Everyone wants to learn Japanese and speak in Japanese even at autograph sessions."

Sources: https://article.auone.jp/detail/1/5/9/20_9_r_20191021_1571643291781612 and https://www.cao.go.jp/cool_japan/ambassador/ambassador.html