A group of seven ''maid cafe'' waitresses wearing miniskirts and aprons left Osaka for Taiwan on Friday in a bid to attract tourists to the largest business area in western Japan.
     ''We'll sing and dance our best to promote Japanese pop culture,'' Manae Miura, 18, told a send-off event at Kansai International Airport as representative of the eight-woman delegation.
     The ''maids'' are from cafes in Osaka's Nippombashi district, home of Japanese pop culture in the city.
     The delegation will take part in a big event featuring animated films and comics as well as an exchange event at a maid cafe in Taiwan, where maid cafes have recently become popular, during their stay through Sunday.
     Kansai International Airport Co., operator of the airport, spearheaded the project to send the young women to Taiwan to promote tourism against the backdrop of a decrease in passengers during the protracted economic downturn.
==Kyodo