Keep Mario and Pokémon out of it: Japan asks US government to stop political posts

The US government regularly uses imagery from video games and anime to promote political messages on social media. Most recently, the White House published a visual inspired by Pokémon Pokopia featuring the slogan "Make America Great Again", while the launch of NASA's Artemis II Moon mission was paired with scenes from Super Mario Galaxy. One particularly controversial post came from the US Department of Homeland Security. Under the familiar Pokémon slogan "Gotta Catch 'Em All", the agency combined scenes from the anime series with footage of US immigration enforcement operations.

In Japan, this practice is facing growing resistance. According to the Japanese daily newspaper Mainichi Shimbun, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reportedly asked the US government several times to refrain from using Japanese works without permission. The issue is not limited to possible copyright infringement. The ministry is also reportedly concerned that linking well-known Japanese brands with political messaging could negatively affect public perception. These concerns were said to have been raised with the Trump administration through the US Embassy in Japan – first in April and, according to Mainichi Shimbun, at least two more times in June.

The issue has already sparked discussion on Reddit as well. Many users are sharply criticizing the Trump administration's social media strategy. At the same time, some doubt that the requests will have any effect. A number of commenters even expect the White House to respond to the criticism with more posts of this kind. So far, however, no official response has been issued.