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Japan Rebukes White House Over Mario and Pokémon Meme Campaign. Japanese officials have warned that the Trump administration's repeated use of popular anime and video game franchises in political memes could damage the image of global brands such as Mario, Pokémon and Naruto. The criticism follows a series of government social media posts using copyrighted Japanese characters to promote immigration enforcement, military action and other political messages. Japanese diplomats said public institutions should obtain permission before using copyrighted works and avoid associating them with content that goes against the creators' intentions. Authorities have repeatedly raised the issue with Washington, while companies behind franchises including Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! have publicly distanced themselves from the posts, saying they never authorized the use of their intellectual property for such purposes. Experts say the characters are widely associated with themes of friendship, perseverance and community, making their use in divisive political campaigns particularly controversial. The dispute highlights growing concerns in Japan that the country's most valuable cultural exports could be repurposed as political propaganda without the consent of their creators.
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