The Asian Art Society and the Japan-America Society of Indiana invite you to view "Hello Kitty: The Global Brand with Nine Lives," a lecture and book-signing with author and The New York Times Business Reporter Ken Belson. Hello Kitty was Japan’s brilliant answer to Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse. As author of "Hello Kitty; The Remarkable Story of Sanrio and the Billion Dollar Feline Phenomenon," Belson will discuss how Japan’s most famous cartoon kitten and other Sanrio characters have become a global cultural phenomenon. April 1, 2008.