The US Government's Mario, Pokemon and Naruto Meme Posting Could Damage These Franchises, Japanese Officials Warn

Japanese officials have repeatedly cautioned the Trump administration to refrain from utilizing characters from popular franchises such as Mario, Pokemon, and Naruto in unauthorized government memes and war-related videos. They contend that these posts could harm the intellectual property associated with these franchises. IGN reports that US government social media accounts, including The White House's X account, have featured various memes and videos incorporating characters from beloved Japanese anime and games throughout the past year.

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has consistently urged the US government to cease sharing such content, asserting that it is inappropriate even for public institutions to reproduce copyrighted materials without obtaining permission from the rights holders. This concern was expressed by Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi during a parliamentary session in April, specifically referencing a pro-war video that incorporated Nintendo's Wii Sports.

According to a recent report by Mainichi Shimbun, the Japanese Ministry reiterated its request to the Trump administration to halt the use of IPs like Naruto, Pokemon, and Mario at least twice more in June through the US Embassy in Japan. They emphasized the potential damage to these intellectual properties when used without authorization in US policy and war-related content.

Not only has the Japanese government spoken out against these posts, but they have also faced criticism from Japanese anime fans. Nana Suzuki, a self-proclaimed manga and anime enthusiast, launched the "Protect Japanese Manga" petition on Change.org, which garnered international media attention (New York Times, BBC, among others).

She submitted the petition to the Japanese Cabinet Office in March and alerted Japanese politicians to the unauthorized use of Japanese intellectual properties by the US government. The issue resurfaced in June when President Trump posted an AI-generated video portraying himself as Naruto, the main character from the popular manga and anime series.

This prompted the petition organizer to revive the campaign as an urgent appeal to rights holders and to lobby the Japanese government. Japan's Cabinet Minister Kimi Onoda addressed the matter during a June 12th press conference, reiterating that obtaining permission from the copyright holder is the fundamental principle of fair use and that this stance had been communicated to the US government numerous times via diplomatic channels.