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Need A Lift? See Japan's New 'Branomics Bra'

Models from Triumph International display the new "Branomics Bra" on Wednesday in Tokyo.
Yoshikazu Tsuno
/
AP
Models from Triumph International display the new "Branomics Bra" on Wednesday in Tokyo.

As Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe focuses on boosting his country's bottom line, a lingerie company is hoping to give Japan a different type of lift.

The "Branomics Bra" from Triumph International is a play on Abe's economic policy known as "Abenomics." The company says the garment has a "growth strategy" to help bust Japan's persistent inflation problem, according to Reuters.

The concept bra features three toy arrows and a target shaped pouch, modeled after the prime minister's "three arrows" plan. Business Insider explains Abenomics this way: "The plan ... involves a massive increase in fiscal stimulus through government spending, a massive increase in monetary stimulus through unconventional central bank policy, and a reform program aimed at making structural improvements to the Japanese economy."

Swiss-based Triumph says its creation also has a little something extra up top.

"We put in these pads that boost the bra's cups by 2 percent," Triumph spokeswoman Yoshiko Masuda said, according to UPI. "We hope that as the Japanese economy grows we can also help bust sizes to get bigger."

Abe hopes to bring down Japanese inflation to two percent in two years.

Known for its surprising intimate apparel, Triumph has also produced bras that can be recycled as fuel, the chopstick bra and the husband-hunting bra. But don't look for any of these brassieres – including the Branomics version – in stores. They're not for sale.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Korva Coleman is a newscaster for NPR.