"Is Ash Catching Illegal Immigrants?"... Angered Japan Officially Protests Trump Administration

Unauthorized Use of Anime Characters by the U.S.
Japanese Government Expresses Repeated Concerns

It has been revealed that the Japanese government has repeatedly expressed concerns to the U.S. government after U.S. President Donald Trump posted several videos on social media that used popular Japanese animation characters without permission.

Controversy Over Unauthorized Use of Japanese Animation by the U.S.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun on August 4, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs communicated concerns regarding copyright infringement and other issues to the U.S. Embassy in Japan in April and June, in connection with the Trump administration's unauthorized use of Japanese animation. However, it is reported that the problematic videos have not yet been deleted.

"Yu-Gi-Oh" featured in White House war propaganda video. White House official website

Previously, the Trump administration produced and uploaded videos featuring popular Japanese characters such as Pokémon, Dragon Ball, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Naruto to social media to promote its policies.

In September last year, Satoshi, the main character of Pokémon, was used without permission in a promotional video by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for illegal immigrant crackdowns. HSI posted a scene on X (formerly Twitter) of Satoshi throwing a Poké Ball to catch Pokémon, using the phrase "Gotta catch them all." The video also included the theme song from the animation and scenes of HSI agents arresting illegal immigrants.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (DHS) released a parody immigrant arrest video based on the Japanese animation 'Pokémon' on X (formerly Twitter). X

In March of this year, the White House also posted a video on X using an image from Yu-Gi-Oh without the production company's permission. The video, titled "JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY," featured Yugi Mutou, the main character of Yu-Gi-Oh, appearing alongside other movie characters such as Iron Man and Top Gun, alternating with scenes of U.S. attacks on Iran.

In response, the production company for Yu-Gi-Oh pointed out on X that the White House's official X account had used video from the Yu-Gi-Oh series without the right-holder's permission.

Trump Also Posts Unauthorized Naruto Mashup Video

An image combining characters from the Japanese animation "Naruto" and U.S. President Donald Trump. Truth Social.

As these unauthorized uses continued, the Japanese government requested in April that the United States consider the risk of copyright infringement and potential damage to the image of the works, stating that, even for public institutions, the permission of the content creator is required when using intellectual property.

Nevertheless, in June, President Trump uploaded a video to Truth Social in which the main character of Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto, was combined with an image of himself. The Japanese government once again expressed concerns to the U.S. side, but only partial removal was made on YouTube, and the problematic videos have not been deleted from social media accounts. Japanese animation fans who saw the video even started an online petition stating their opposition to the U.S. president and the White House using Japanese animation characters.

Meanwhile, Mainichi reported that American artists are also protesting the Trump administration's unauthorized use of content, and that Japan is stepping up its response. The report also cited criticism from a Japanese government official, stating, "The United States has long prioritized protecting intellectual property rights, but now regime promotion is being given priority."

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