Tokyo Tells U.S. to Stop Using Mario and Anime in Official Posts

Tokyo has repeatedly urged the United States to stop using Nintendo and anime characters in official social media posts, lodging diplomatic protests through the U.S. embassy in June and raising objections publicly since March.

Japanese officials point to a series of posts by U.S. government accounts that combined footage of popular game and anime characters with political or military material. In September 2025, the Department of Homeland Security posted a clip that paired images of Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum with footage of immigration raids. The Pokémon Company said it had not granted permission for that use.

In March, the White House X account published a clip that mixed Wii Sports footage with images of an Iran strike, and a follow-up post included clips or imagery linked to Halo, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball, Top Gun, Iron Man and Braveheart. Creators and rights holders criticized those uses; the voice actor for Master Chief publicly criticized the use of Halo imagery, and the official Yu-Gi-Oh! account said original creators and anime staff were not involved and had not allowed the content.

Tokyo asked U.S. officials to consider the effects on brands and creators when state accounts repurpose copyrighted material for policy or enforcement messaging. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told a parliamentary session in April that “it’s inappropriate even for public institutions to reproduce copyrighted materials without the rightsholders’ consent.” Cabinet Minister Kimi Onoda has said the point was conveyed to U.S. counterparts “multiple times.”

A separate controversy in June involved an AI-generated video showing a former U.S. president as the anime character Naruto. A Japanese campaigner, Nana Suzuki, relaunched a petition titled “Protect Japanese Manga” after the clip appeared on a U.S. social platform, and protesters urged the government to press the U.S. to stop unauthorized use of anime and game intellectual property.

Companies and rights holders have publicly clarified they did not authorize the government uses. The Pokémon Company confirmed it never granted permission for the Department of Homeland Security mash-up, and the Yu-Gi-Oh! account posted that its footage was used without permission.

Japanese officials describe the issue as one of intellectual property control and reputational impact for long-standing franchises. Tokyo’s responses so far have taken the form of diplomatic notes and public statements rather than legal action.