Risu no Matoi
MAFF ／ リスのまとい
Commissioned by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), *Risu no Matoi* features the agency’s mascot squirrel, who appears on posters and signboards promoting wildfire prevention, much like Smokey Bear does for the U.S. Forest Service, in Japanese forests and campgrounds. In the story, the squirrel detects smoke as a forest fire spreads through the nearby woods. Although several local men were poised to be blamed for the blaze, the squirrel intervenes, confirming that these men were not responsible. He encounters a kitsune who explains that she had used her shape‑shifting to prank a hunter who was attempting to hunt her. While the hunter was distracted, he accidentally dropped a lit rope fuse on his gun, igniting the fire. The squirrel, together with the kitsune, reports the incident, leading to the hunter’s capture and punishment.