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A Japanese company that has produced a beloved candy for 114 years says it will be going out of business in January.
一家生产备受人们喜爱的糖果且有114年历史的日本公司表示，其将于明年1月倒闭。
Tokyo-based Sakumaseika Co recently announced it would be forced to end operations because of rising production costs, a labor shortage and drops in sales.
总部位于东京的佐久间制果株式会社最近宣布，由于生产成本上升、劳动力短缺和销售额下降，该公司将被迫停止运营。
The company’s main and most popular product is called "Sakuma's Drops."
该公司最主要也是最受欢迎的产品是“佐久间式水果糖”。
The candy – which comes in eight different fruit flavors – has been beloved in Japan for generations.
这种糖果有八种不同的水果口味，备受日本几代人喜爱。
The drops are famous in Japan and even appeared in a hit anime film.
这种水果糖在日本很有名，甚至出现在一部热门动漫电影中。
The discontinuation of the beloved candy caused some people to begin to mourn the treat.
一些人因为这种备受喜爱的糖果的停产而感到悲伤。
"We always had a can at home when I was in grade school," said 53-year-old sweets-shop owner Naoe Watanabe.
53岁的糖果店老板渡边直江说：“我上小学的时候，家里总是有一罐水果糖。”
He remembered how he used to use a 10-yen coin to lift open the container.
他记得他以前是如何用一枚10日元的硬币来打开容器的。
Sakuma's Drops have been sold in candy shops for 114 years.
“佐久间式水果糖”在糖果店销售已有114年的历史。
"It feels like a sign of the times,” Watanabe said.
渡边说：“这感觉像是时代的标志”。
“There are so many choices now, compared to when I was a kid."
“与我小时候相比，现在有很多选择。”
Sakumaseika said it had not raised the price of the product in years.
佐久间制果株式会社表示，其多年来一直没有提高该产品的价格。
Many Japanese companies have been unwilling to raise prices even though their material and production costs have been increasing.
许多日本公司一直不愿提价，尽管他们的原材料和生产成本一直在上升。
Many businesses fear that passing along those costs would turn off many buyers.
许多企业担心，转嫁这些成本会让许多买家望而却步。
The future of Sakumaseika's 100 or so employees remained uncertain, a company representative said.
一位公司代表表示，佐久间制果株式会社约100名员工的未来仍不明朗。
Company officials did not provide comment to reporters from Reuters news agency.
公司高层没有向路透社记者发表评论。
Sakumaseika was established in 1908 by candy maker Sojiro Sakuma.
佐久间制果株式会社由糖果制造商佐久间次郎于1908年创立。
The company produced the candy through air attacks during World War II.
该公司在第二次世界大战期间在空袭中生产这种糖果。
The drops appeared in the 1988 anime film Grave of the Fireflies, which is set during the war.
这种水果糖出现在1988年的动漫电影《萤火虫之墓》中，这部电影以二战为背景。
In it, an orphaned girl, struggling to survive with her brother, carries with her the red can of Sakuma's Drops.
在片中，一个孤女和她的哥哥一起为生存而奋斗，她随身携带着装佐久间式水果糖的红色罐子。
It is one of the children’s few belongings after their home is destroyed.
这是孩子们在家被毁后为数不多的财产之一。
Hiroshi Matsuzawa is a store owner on a popular Tokyo shopping street.
松泽博是东京一条颇受欢迎的购物街上一家商店的老板。
He told Reuters that Sakuma's Drops were mostly popular with older people.
他告诉路透社，佐久间式水果糖最受老年人欢迎。
He noted that a lot of children are now uninterested in the candy because they have so many other products to choose from.
他指出，现在很多孩子对这种糖果不感兴趣，因为他们有太多其他产品可供选择。
Teruyo Ishiguro runs a small food store that traditionally is visited by many children walking home from school.
石黑昭代经营着一家小型食品店，传统上许多放学回家的孩子都会光顾这家店。
She said she had stopped carrying Sakuma's Drops last year because most buyers were in their 50s or older.
她说，她去年已经不卖佐久间式水果糖了，因为大多数购买者都是50多岁的人。
"It's very sad to see something disappear that's been around for so long," said Ishiguro, who had been selling the candy for more than 60 years.
卖这种糖果60多年的石黑说：“看到存在了这么久的东西消失，真是令人难过。”
I’m Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
