Japan to export Doraemon to US

One of Japan's most popular cartoon creations, Doraemon, a robot cat from the future with a magic pocket and a portal to anywhere, is to make his debut on US TV this year, officials said Friday. TV Asahi, which partially owns the rights to the character, has reached an agreement with Disney to air a version dubbed into English, said a spokeswoman with the Japanese broadcaster. The cartoon has been broadcast in Japan for decades and has captivated children across Asia, but it will be his first foray in English into the American market, she said. The US media giant is to air 26 episodes of the animation, amending storylines, character names and gadgets to suit US viewing tastes, according to AFP.