National Dec. 02, 2008 - 11:07AM JST ( 38 )

TOKYO —

Actress Yuki Amami and comedian Harumi Edo took out the top prizes at the 2008 U-CAN Awards for newly coined words and words in vogue. Amami was attributed with the buzzword “arafo,” which refers to women around their 40s, while Edo was picked for her “gu” said with thumbs up.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda’s “Not like you,” which he said to a reporter at the press conference held to announce his resignation, made the top 10 but Fukuda declined to accept the award and did not attend the event. His comment was read out on stage, which said: “I’m honored but I will refrain from accepting the award.”

Olympic softball pitcher Yukiko Ueno received an award for “Ueno 413,” a reference to her 413 pitches in three games over two days which saw Japan win its first gold medal in softball.

Also in the top 10 were “izakaya taxi” - a phrase which became popular after hundreds of government officials admitted to receiving beer and other benefits by taxi drivers keen to pick up their fares; “kanikosen” - a novel about poor working conditions in the 1930s but which sold well in 2008 in its reprinted edition; “gerira gou” or guerrilla rain, in reference to the high number of sudden storms this summer; “kokikoreisha” – those aged 75 or older who now account for around 10% of the population; “nabakari kanrishoku” – staff not compensated for overtime due to their “manager” status; and “maizokin” – a reference to the unused pile of government reserve funds and surpluses.

Amami, 41, who starred in TBS drama “Around 40” shown earlier this year, said at the ceremony: “Women around my age have lacked confidence, but we should be more bold. If women are happy the world is beautiful.”

Wire reports