Japanese officials have asked the U.S. Government to stop using Pokemon and Mario in social posts

The Japanese government has called the posts inappropriate and potentially harmful to their respective IP.

The Trump Administration has weaponized popular video game IP like Pokemon and Mario in recent months to spread propaganda messaging on social media, and Japanese officials haven’t taken it well. According to a new report, Japanese leaders have called on the U.S. Government to stop using Japanese IP for its political messaging without consent.

The Mainichi Shimbun published a report about the matter. According to the outlet, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the U.S. Embassy in Japan in April and June of this year to express concerns over online posts made by official U.S. Government accounts. The ministry urged the Trump Administration against using copyrighted IP like Mario, Pokemon, and Naruto without the consent of their creators.

Japanese officials also warned that these posts could harm the perception of these franchises. In March, the official White House account piggybacked on the release of Pokemon Pokopia by posting Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” over the game’s logo and key art. Another March post featured footage of the U.S. Military bombing Iran alongside clips, graphics, and sound effects from Wii Sports.

Despite the requests from Japanese leadership, there’s no evidence of the U.S. Government’s cooperation in the matter. In other Nintendo-related news, the company reported its quarterly earnings for Q1 FY27 yesterday.

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