Sports Hochi reports (Japanese) that Japan Airlines has decided, as a cost-saving measure, not to issue a 2010 cabin crew calendar. The company is making the announcement now because there's a lengthy production process which starts with the selection of models at the beginning of the year. It has been something of a coup to be chosen, and any JAL worker proposed for the calendar undergoes a thorough interview procedure. Perhaps the best known calendar girl is Mieko Hanada, ex-wife of former yokozuna Wakanohana, who appeared in the 1994 edition. JAL has been producing these calendars since 1989 and older versions have gone for as much as 10,000 yen on auction sites. It was first introduced as the "JAL Stewardess Calendar" but, as that title fell out of favour, it was renamed the "Cabin Attendant Calendar" in 1999. JAL has produced two types, a wall-hanging version and a desktop version, for use as a corporate gift and for registered shareholders. The general public has also been able to buy them from bookstores and, at its peak, the print run for the wall-hanging version alone was 100,000 in 1993. However, although it remains a popular choice, sales have dropped sharply over the years and the 2009 edition ran to 50,000 which is believed to have been a major factor in JAL's decision
