The U.S. Government's Mario, Pokémon and Naruto Meme Posting Could Damage These Franchises, Japanese Officials Warn

Japanese officials person repeatedly requested that the U.S. authorities halt its meme posting involving characters and franchises specified arsenic Mario, Pokémon and Naruto.

Since March, the Japanese authorities has repeatedly called retired the US regarding the unauthorized usage of anime and crippled IPs successful the Trump administration’s societal media posts. These moves person been driven successful portion by backlash and petitions from Japanese fans, which person drawn much attraction to the issue.

Official US authorities societal media accounts, including The White House’s X account, person posted assorted memes and videos utilizing characters from fashionable Japanese anime and games implicit the past year. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly called connected the US authorities to cease uploading specified posts, stating that "It’s inappropriate adjacent for nationalist institutions to reproduce copyrighted materials without the rightsholders’ consent." This interest was voiced by Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi successful a parliamentary league backmost successful April, erstwhile helium made nonstop notation to a pro-war video that utilized Nintendo’s Wii Sports.

However, according to a study by Mainichi Shimbun this week, the Japanese Ministry called connected the Trump medication to halt utilizing IPs similar Naruto, Pokémon and Mario astatine slightest doubly much this June done the US Embassy successful Japan. Japan requested that the US medication instrumentality into relationship the imaginable harm to these IPs erstwhile utilized without support successful US argumentation and pro-war related content.

The Trump administration's usage of copyrighted IPs successful memes and videos has sparked contention and backlash respective times implicit the past year. Back successful September 2025, the Department of Homeland Security posted a mash-up of Pokémon leader Ash Ketchum and ICE raid footage acceptable to the Pokémon taxable song. This prompted immoderate Pokémon fans to telephone connected the institution to writer the US authorities and yet resulted successful an authoritative effect from the Pokémon Company, denying that support was sought.

In March, the authoritative White House X relationship posted a clip containing Wii Sports footage interspersed with what appears to beryllium subject footage from the U.S.’s Operation Epic Fury airstrikes connected Iran. Shortly after, the relationship posted different pro-war video featuring clips from assorted well-known movies and franchises including Halo, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball, Top Gun, Iron Man, and Braveheart, again juxtaposed with subject footage. The Pokémon Company, Yu-Gi-Oh’s authoritative relationship and Master Chief dependable histrion Steve Downes are among those who person made statements calling retired US societal media for utilizing copyrighted contented without consent.

It’s not conscionable the Japanese authorities and related parties who person spoken retired against these posts. They person besides sparked backlash from Japanese anime fans. Notably, self-proclaimed manga and anime instrumentality Nana Suzuki kicked disconnected the "Protect Japanese Manga" petition connected Change.org, which has received planetary quality sum (from the New York Times, BBC and others). The organizer claims to person submitted their petition to the Japanese Cabinet Office backmost successful March, arsenic good arsenic alerting Japanese politicians to the US government’s unauthorized usage of Japanese IPs, perchance drafting much authoritative attraction to the issue.

Renewed backlash was triggered successful June, erstwhile President Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting himself arsenic Naruto, the protagonist of the fashionable manga and anime of the aforesaid name, connected Truth Social. This prompted the petition organizer to reopen the petition "as an urgent effort to convey our protestation and interest regarding this substance to the rights holders and to enactment successful solidarity to lobby the Japanese government."

The Naruto clip besides prompted renewed treatment of this contented successful Japan’s media and government. As reported successful the Hokkaido Shimbun and others, Cabinet Minister Kimi Onoda was asked astir it successful a June 12th property conference. She emphasized that "obtaining support from the copyright holder is the underlying rule for just use," and stated that this presumption had been conveyed to the US authorities aggregate times done diplomatic channels.

Back successful 2025, Trump medication spokesperson Abigail Jackson described the government’s meme-packed societal media strategy arsenic highly effectual to the New York Times and others. "Through engaging posts and banger memes, we are successfully communicating the president’s highly fashionable agenda," Jackson said. "There’s a crushed truthful galore radical effort to transcript our style- our connection resonates."

Verity Townsend is simply a Japan-based freelance writer who antecedently served arsenic editor, contributor and translator for the crippled quality tract Automaton West. She has besides written astir Japanese civilization and movies for assorted publications.