staff said, "The appeal of this anime is that it depicts scenes of everyday life and universal relationships that can be found in any family. Therefore, we have no plans in the future to incorporate events or items that would change them." He responded. However, some of the phenomena, such as smoking and corporal punishment, which have come to be considered inappropriate due to changing times, have been removed or otherwise addressed. The anime is not well known outside of Japan, as it has never been exported overseas or otherwise developed globally due to the wishes of the rights holders. However, in 2019, the producer said in a conversation that he hopes to be able to expand globally in the future. As for voice actors, as of 2023, only Midori Katō, who plays Sazae, has never been changed. Katō was recognized by Guinness World Records in 2019 as the "Longest career as a voice actor for the same character of an animated TV series". As of 2008, 40 years after the broadcast, four of the seven main characters were original cast members, but in 2014 Ichirō Nagai, who played Namihei, was replaced due to his sudden death at age 82, and the following year Miyoko Asō, who played Fune, was changed to reflect her age at 89. Takako Sasuga, who played Tarao, died suddenly in 2023 at the age of 87 and was replaced. The opening is an introduction to the places that Sazae has traveled and visited throughout Japan since 1974. This video changes approximately every three months. Because of the popularity of the anime, this has come to be viewed by cities as a "cost-effective means of promoting tourism," and since 2000, the program has received approximately 5-10 million yen in aid from prefectures and municipalities wishing to introduce the program. Since November 1991, after the closing credits and the next episode previews, each show has ended with a janken match between Sazae and the viewers at home, in which Sazae holds up a sign representing one of the appropriate hand gestures. From 1969 until October 1991, Sazae ended each episode by tossing a bean or rice cake in the air and catching it in her mouth. Fuji Television switched to the janken match after doctors at Tohoku University Hospital and the National Center for Child Health and Development raised concerns that children may try to imitate Sazae