Tokyo Tells White House: Stop Meme-ing Our IP Before We Hash Out a Resolution �

Japan's Foreign Ministry has repeatedly asked the U.S. government to stop using Japanese anime and game intellectual property in social media posts by the Trump administration, according to local reports. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told a parliamentary session in April that "it's inappropriate even for public institutions to reproduce copyrighted materials without the rightsholders' consent," referencing a pro-war video that used Nintendo's Wii Sports. In June, Cabinet Minister Kimi Onoda said the same principle had been conveyed to the U.S. through diplomatic channels "multiple times." Per Mainichi, Tokyo asked the administration to weigh the potential damage to these IPs when used without permission in policy and pro-war content.

The administration's accounts have leaned on Japanese franchises for over a year. In September 2025, the Department of Homeland Security posted a mash-up of Pokémon's Ash Ketchum and ICE raid footage set to the theme song; The Pokémon Company later said permission was never sought. In March, the White House X account posted Wii Sports footage cut with Iran strike footage, followed by a second pro-war clip weaving in Halo, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball, Top Gun, Iron Man, and Braveheart. Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes and Yu-Gi-Oh!'s official account publicly pushed back, with the latter stating the anime's creators were not involved and no usage license had been granted.

The backlash extended beyond rights holders. Fan Nana Suzuki launched a "Protect Japanese Manga" petition on Change.org urging measures to stop the practice. Anger flared again in June after President Trump shared an AI-generated video of himself as Naruto on Truth Social, prompting Suzuki to reopen the petition "as an urgent effort to convey our protest" and drawing fresh questioning of Onoda in parliament on June 12.

Japan polices intellectual property more tightly than most jurisdictions, with its creative industries treating character IP as carefully guarded assets. Tokyo has framed unauthorized use by a foreign state as brand risk, citing potential dilution tied to association with polarizing policy content. The complaint remains limited to diplomatic notes rather than legal action.

In a separate development, the U.S. Senate will not vote on the Clarity Act before its August recess, pushing the crypto market structure bill to September. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) confirmed the delay late Thursday, stating, "The Dems are insistent on no Clarity vote," adding that he had [remarks truncated in source].