"Don't Use Naruto Images"... Japanese Government Protests Trump's 'Parody'

"Cool Japan" Minister: "Permission from Copyright Holders Is Fundamental"


Unauthorized Use of "Yu-Gi-Oh!" Images in March

The Japanese government has lodged a protest regarding U.S. President Donald Trump's unauthorized use of Japanese animation images.

According to reports from foreign media such as The New York Times (NYT) on June 14 (local time), Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly conveyed its objections to the U.S. Embassy in Japan concerning posts recently uploaded by President Trump on his social networking service, Truth Social.

A post depicting U.S. President Donald Trump as the main character of the popular Japanese manga "Naruto." Truth Social capture

Earlier, President Trump posted a generative artificial intelligence (AI) video on his social media. In the video, President Trump appears dressed in an orange outfit like the protagonist of the popular Japanese manga and anime "Naruto," performing ninja-specific hand gestures.

The Japanese government has taken a firm stance, emphasizing the principle of copyright protection. Kimi Onoda, Minister in charge of the "Cool Japan" strategy, stated in a press conference, "Obtaining the rights holder’s permission is a basic principle when using copyrighted works," stressing, "This applies equally regardless of whether the user is an individual or a public institution."

There have been previous controversies over the Trump Administration’s unauthorized use of Japanese content. In March, a promotional video was posted on the White House’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, which cross-edited footage of U.S. airstrikes on Iran with scenes from Japanese anime such as "Yu-Gi-Oh!" This sparked controversy, and at the time, the copyright holder of Yu-Gi-Oh! stated, "The original creator and production team are not associated with the video, and no permission has been granted for any use of intellectual property (IP)."

Japanese Manga Fans Petition to Stop Trump’s Image Usage

Japanese manga fans have also expressed displeasure over the Trump Administration’s use of these images. On June 10, The Guardian reported that Japanese manga fans urged Trump to stop using manga characters in his online posts. Fans launched a petition on the global platform Change.org, protesting the White House’s official social media account for creating posts using images from "Dragon Ball," "Yu-Gi-Oh!," and "Naruto" without authorization. More than 20,000 people have signed the petition.

In Japan, there is a perception that anime and manga are not just forms of entertainment, but are also key assets for the nation’s image and export industry. The Japanese government has, for a long time, fostered content such as manga, anime, and games as the core of its "Cool Japan" strategy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.