Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

Japanese authorities have reportedly called on the U.S. government to stop using characters from some of Japan's most famous entertainment franchises in political memes, arguing that such content may violate intellectual property rights and harm the image of beloved characters, AzerNEWS reports.

According to reports, Japanese officials have contacted the administration of President Donald Trump through the U.S. Embassy on two separate occasions, requesting that government-affiliated social media accounts refrain from using copyrighted Japanese characters in AI-generated and edited images.

The concern involves globally recognized franchises such as Naruto, Super Mario, and Pokémon. Japanese officials believe these characters should not be used in political messaging or internet memes without the permission of the rights holders, as doing so could damage their reputation and create misleading associations.

Over the past year, several social media posts linked to the Trump administration have featured AI-generated images portraying the U.S. president as iconic characters from Japanese anime and video games. While many of these posts were intended as humorous or promotional content, they have sparked criticism in Japan over the unauthorized use of copyrighted material.

Earlier, Kimi Onoda, Japan's Minister of State for Economic Security, publicly criticized one such post that incorporated imagery inspired by the anime Naruto, calling attention to the importance of respecting creators' intellectual property.

The dispute reflects a broader global debate over the use of copyrighted characters in AI-generated content. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable of producing realistic images and videos, governments and copyright holders are facing new challenges in protecting creative works from unauthorized use.