Japanese have the practice of electing a symbol to define each year. They participate in voting to do this.

For the year 2018, they have chosen a character that symbolizes disaster. The name of the character is Kanji, a logographic symbol.

The reason for choosing 'disaster' to definite the year is that the country has seen a spate of natural calamities. It has seen the worst floods in 36 years; it has registered the hottest summer since 1945; it was shocked by the worst typhoon in 25 years; and it has suffered a terrible earthquake of never-seen-before intensity.

These disasters have affected its economic growth to a vast extent. Japanese are known for being resilient in the wake of natural disasters. They are among the most hardworking people in the world.