Ever since the Great Tohoku Earthquake struck Japan on March 11th, Osaka's iconic neon�Ezaki Glico man was forced to turn its lights out. Three weeks later on April 4th, Osaka finally flipped the switch and allowed the sign to brightly shine once more.

Placed by its side, the city added a banner stating, "We want to send everyone smiles�.

In consideration of the earthquake's victims and afflicted area, the company had turned off the Glico Man's lights on March 12th. Since many voices expressed hope for a re-lighting - �Kansai hopes everyone can be well and cheerful again� - the management has decided to resurge the Glico man in hopes that �The area struck by the disaster and all of Japan can become even a little bit cheerful and feel better sooner�.

Nagasawa Noriko (36) is from Fukushima and currently lives in Osaka. She welcomed the re-lighting and said, �It seems the area struck will come back one step at a time. It�s important for areas around to not hold back and to start feeling better�.

Source: Sanspo