The kanji of the year (今年の漢字, Kotoshi no kanji) is a Japanese character chosen by the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society (財団法人日本漢字能力検定協会, Zaidan hōjin Nihon Kanji Nōryoku kentei kyōkai) through a national ballot in Japan, starting in 1995. The character with the most votes, selected to represent the events of that year, is announced in a ceremony on December 12 (Kanji Day) at Kiyomizu Temple.
References
Kanji of the year Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA