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

Japanese officials have repeatedly requested that the U.S. government stop its meme posting involving characters and franchises such as Mario, Pokémon and Naruto.

Since March, the Japanese government has repeatedly called out the US regarding the unauthorized use of anime and game IPs in the Trump administration’s social media posts. These moves have been driven in part by backlash and petitions from Japanese fans, which have drawn more attention to the issue.

Official US government social media accounts, including The White House’s X account, have posted various memes and videos using characters from popular Japanese anime and games over the past year. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly called on the US government to cease uploading such posts, stating that "It’s inappropriate even for public institutions to reproduce copyrighted materials without the rightsholders’ consent." This concern was voiced by Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi in a parliamentary session back in April, when he made direct reference to a pro-war video that used Nintendo’s Wii Sports.

However, according to a report by Mainichi Shimbun this week, the Japanese Ministry called on the Trump administration to stop using IPs like Naruto, Pokémon and Mario at least twice more this June through the US Embassy in Japan. Japan requested that the US administration take into account the potential damage to these IPs when used without permission in US policy and pro-war related content.

The Trump administration's use of copyrighted IPs in memes and videos has sparked controversy and backlash several times over the past year. Back in September 2025, the Department of Homeland Security posted a mash-up of Pokémon hero Ash Ketchum and ICE raid footage set to the Pokémon theme song. This prompted some Pokémon fans to call on the company to sue the US government and eventually resulted in an official response from the Pokémon Company, denying that permission was sought.

In March, the official White House X account posted a clip containing Wii Sports footage interspersed with what appears to be military footage from the U.S.’s Operation Epic Fury airstrikes on Iran. Shortly after, the account posted another pro-war video featuring clips from various well-known movies and franchises including Halo, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball, Top Gun, Iron Man, and Braveheart, again juxtaposed with military footage. The Pokémon Company, Yu-Gi-Oh’s official account and Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes are among those who have made statements calling out US social media for using copyrighted content without consent.

It’s not just the Japanese government and related parties who have spoken out against these posts. They have also sparked backlash from Japanese anime fans. Notably, self-proclaimed manga and anime fan Nana Suzuki kicked off the "Protect Japanese Manga" petition on Change.org, which has received international news coverage (from the New York Times, BBC and others). The organizer claims to have submitted their petition to the Japanese Cabinet Office back in March, as well as alerting Japanese politicians to the US government’s unauthorized use of Japanese IPs, potentially drawing more official attention to the issue.

Renewed backlash was triggered in June, when President Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting himself as Naruto, the protagonist of the popular manga and anime of the same name, on Truth Social. This prompted the petition organizer to reopen the petition "as an urgent effort to convey our protest and concern regarding this matter to the rights holders and to work in solidarity to lobby the Japanese government."

The Naruto clip also prompted renewed discussion of this issue in Japan’s media and government. As reported in the Hokkaido Shimbun and others, Cabinet Minister Kimi Onoda was asked about it in a June 12th press conference. She emphasized that "obtaining permission from the copyright holder is the underlying principle for fair use," and stated that this position had been conveyed to the US government multiple times through diplomatic channels.

Back in 2025, Trump administration spokesperson Abigail Jackson described the government’s meme-packed social media strategy as highly effective to the New York Times and others. "Through engaging posts and banger memes, we are successfully communicating the president’s extremely popular agenda," Jackson said. "There’s a reason so many people try to copy our style- our message resonates."

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.