Pikachu in Manila for Omurice Date with Japanese Ambassador

Pikachu visited Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa on Saturday, proving that diplomacy can be fun, Tokyo's mission in Manila said.

The Pokemon and Koshikawa-san shared omurice or omelette with curry sauce in the garden of the ambassador's residence, the embassy said. Of course, he wore a face mask.

The embassy is drumming up interest in the ambassador's Twitter account, @AmbJPNinPH.

While known for being sticklers for protocol, the Japanese know when to harness the pop trasure trove to endear themselves to the world. During the closing of the 2016 Rio Olympics, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared in a Super Mario Costume to drum up interest in Tokyo's hosting of the games.

Britain's Ambassador to the Philippines, Daniel Pruce, also makes it a point to speak in Tagalog, even on Twitter. That's diplomacy for you.