Japanese superstar Shokotan in a hazmat suit. Terror chic?

More on Shokotan, from her Wikipedia entry:

Shoko Nakagawa born May 5, 1985 in Tokyo as Shiyoko Nakagawa is a Japanese idol and tarento (an actress, seiyū (voice actor), illustrator, and singer)…. Her nickname is Shokotan. (In the blog by Mika Kaneda, who appeared with her on “Ōsama no Brunch”, she is called Shokotasu).

This is a beautiful image, but also quite chilling, especially if you remember the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack by Aum Shinrikyo cult members on March 20, 1995. This memory must be even more acute for people in Japan who encounter the source of this image, a Norton Symantec billboard advertisement at the west exit of Shinjuku subway station in Tokyo:

Norton Symantec billboard at the west exit of Shinjuku station. (Click to enlarge.)

And if the image is unsettling, the text hammers the point home:

"I am in danger. You are in danger. Japan is in danger. Protect yourself with yellow." (Click to enlarge.)

Unfortunately, as nasty as computer viruses can be, they’re nothing compared to a chemical or biological attack on people, so it seems kind of flippant to trade on the fear of human suffering to sell protection against technological trauma. But it does make for great advertising, and using a current pop idol helps sweeten the medicine a little.

Haruki Murakami wrote a great book about the Tokyo subway gas attack, Underground, comprised mostly of interviews he conducted with people connected to the attack in one way or another. [Shokotan source: Pink Tentacle]