“I think kawaii, or cute feelings, reminds us of human connection that we sometimes forget,” says Hiroshi Nittono, director of the Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory at Osaka University.

Kimo-kawaii, meanwhile, offered an alternative to the traditionally child-like definition of “cute.” It wasn’t until the 2000s, though, that kimo-kawaii really became a cultural force.

Kawaii: Going crazy for cute the Japanese way Kawaii, or a love of the adorable, is huge in Japan – and it’s big here too. Bless, says Will Coldwell Will Coldwell Friday 31 May 2013 15:26 BST ...

The word kawaii (a Japanese word which is a rough equivalent of cute) is becoming an international word. However, why cute things attract us and how they affect our mind are not clear.

Japan’s women are being held back by pressure from men to be cute, rather than capable, the wife of Japan’s prime minister said in an interview. "Men’s thinking has not changed," 54-year-old ...