Wakabayashi Yasushi is a Japanese designer, known as the creator of the first Kaomoji.
Despite not creating the design until 1986, a number of years after the American Scott Fahlman, it is believed that the concepts evolved completely independently of each other.
It kickstarted a movement in Japan, which later spread to other parts of the world.
[3] His design and the impression that Kaomoji had on Japanese culture, also lead to a rise in other Asian countries creating their own versions based on Yasushi's concept.
[4] Keurim mal in South Korea in the 1990s is one such example.