Japan has repeatedly urged the United States since March to stop the unauthorized use of anime and video game characters such as Mario, Pokémon and Naruto in the Trump administration’s official posts. Japan’s Foreign Ministry conveyed this protest to the U.S. embassy in Tokyo in June, while Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stressed in April the inappropriateness of using copyrighted content without the consent of rights holders. The Department of Homeland Security notably posted in September 2025 a mash-up combining Pokémon character Ash Ketchum with ICE raid footage without ever obtaining authorization from The Pokémon Company. A « Protect Japanese Manga » petition launched by a Japanese fan on Change.org and an AI-generated video showing Trump as Naruto on Truth Social amplified the backlash. For Japan, this unauthorized use represents a reputational risk for franchises worth billions of dollars.
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