Japan
jap-19890000-e-001
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Advertisement for the 1989 National Sports Festival (Hamanasu Kokutai) held in the Hokkaido prefecture. The card also has the 1989 festival slogan “Become the wind of the land of the north.”

From "Japan Echo Cards" by Pat Feiner of Classic Philatelics dated October, 1982.

Advertising on postal stationery is not a new innovation to the philatelic world, but Japan is certainly utilizing it to the fullest extent since first releasing advertising cards on July 7, 1981. The commitment to this new program was born in 1975 when the Government was introducing legislation for increases in postal rates. Since postal cards have been a favorite way of communication among the Japanese, with approximately 50% of first class mail comprised of postal cards, it was decided to issue the current rate 40 yen postal card bearing advertisements of private enterprises. The cards would be sold to the public at 35 yen thus making them a more economical means of communication, and the advertiser would be charged nine or ten yen per card as his fee for advertising.

From Linn's "Stamp Issuing Entities Of The World" page.