Who the Heck is Aiko-chan?

Recently I received a delivery from a former neighbour who was nice enough to ship me a package full of local veggies. Inside she included a couple canned saba as well.

The saba was great, but what I wanted to talk about was this character on the back of the can.

"Aiko-chan".

There was no mention of it being their mascot or if the manufacturer's name is Aiko. The passage next to the picture was more about how "It is OUR motto that WE want KIDS to enjoy the delicious and safe food we make".

So, is Aiko part of the "WE", or is she the representation of the "KIDS" being referred to.

Or was it a curse the company got from watching TV one night that cursed them to have to put Aiko on anything they sell? The mystery of Aiko lives on the packaging of canned fish...