Squid King

Squid King (Japanese: イカキング, Hepburn: Ika Kingu) is a statue of a Japanese flying squid in Noto, Ishikawa, Japan. Designed to promote tourism and the town's fishing industry, the statue attracted widespread criticism as its construction had mostly been paid for with ¥25,000,000 from the town's COVID-19 relief money. According to the town, the statue and resulting media coverage resulted in a boost to the town's tourism industry.

Squid King
Squid King in 2024
Year	2021
Medium	fibre-reinforced plastic
Subject	Japanese flying squid
Dimensions	400 cm × 800 cm × 1300 cm (160 in × 310 in × 510 in)
Weight	5 tonnes
Location	Noto, Ishikawa, Japan
Coordinates	37°18′44″N 137°13′48″E

Description

The Squid Station Mall, where the statue is located

The Squid King is a fibre-reinforced plastic lifelike statue^[1] of a "giant"^[2][1] pink and white^[2] Japanese flying squid (Todarodes pacificus).^[3] The statue is 13 metres (43 ft) long,^[2] 4 metres (13 ft) tall,^[1] 9 metres (30 ft) wide,^[4] and weighs around 5 tonnes (11,000 lb). It has long legs, "goggling eyes",^[1] and there is a hole in the statue located where a real squid's mouth would be, to allow people to look out from inside the squid.^[1][2] Squid King is located in front of Tsukumo Bay [ja]^[1] in Noto, Ishikawa's Noto Tsukumo Bay Tourism Exchange Center (のと九十九湾観光交流センター, Noto Tsukumo-wan Kankō Kōryu Sentā), also known as the Squid Station Mall (イカの駅つくモール, Ika no Ekitsuku Mōru).^[4] It was officially named Squid King (イカキング, Ika Kingu) in June 2021 after a public contest; the town received 909 submissions for names. During the naming ceremony, the town installed a plaque by the statue.^[5] Squid King has an official X account.^[3]

Construction

The statue's construction cost ¥27,000,000, with 25 million coming from COVID-19 relief funds and grants given to Noto by the Japanese government and the rest coming from the town.^[1][2] Noto had been given ¥800,000,000 by the Japanese government to help it through the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2] According to Noto town, the Squid King was designed to aid the town by promoting tourism^[2] and the town's fishing industry.^[4] The theme of the statue was chosen so tourists could eat squid at the local shops and be "eaten" by a giant squid themselves.^[6] The town additionally planned to build a "shop, restaurant, tourist information center and exhibition corner", later the Noto Tsukumo Bay Tourism Exchange Centre, starring Squid King.^[1] The mall itself cost ¥520,000,000 to build.^[7]

Reception

A display in the mall about squids and Noto's fishing industry

Squid King was revealed to the public in April 2021^[8] and met with widespread criticism because it had been constructed with COVID-19 relief funds.^[7] Several residents felt that their money should have gone to healthcare workers or other causes more directly related to the COVID-19 virus.^[2][1][9] The resulting controversy was covered in non-Japanese media such as the BBC and The New York Times.^[8] After a while it gained a following,^[1] partially resulting from its international coverage.^[3] According to the Mainichi Shimbun, the statue had become "symbolic" of the town.^[6] A study published by Noto township in 2022 said that the town's economy had experienced a ¥604,000,000 boost from tourism and 45% of the 439 tourists they surveyed answered that they had come to Noto to see Squid King.^[4]

The statue survived the January 2024 Noto earthquake and resulting tsunami with little to no damage.^[10][3][7] In the immediate aftermath, the Squid King official Twitter account posted "I didn't return to the sea."^[3] The statue's survival was seen by some residents, especially city officials, as a symbol of recovery and hope.^[10][3][7] However, others were more indifferent.^[7] Squid Station Mall, which was closed as a result of the earthquake, re-opened in April.^[11] In October 2024, the town made Squid King the honorary chairman of their Junior Police Officer program (少年補導員), as part of a move to educate the children of Noto about crime prevention.^[12] In June 2025, the Hokuriku Chunichi Newspaper [ja] sponsored a festival to commemorate the opening of the statue, with performances and demonstrations by local children.^[13][14]