Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly urged the US government to stop using characters from franchises such as Mario, Pokémon and Naruto in official social media posts without permission, warning that the practice could damage these intellectual properties. The complaints, made since March, follow the Trump administration's use of Japanese anime and video game characters in memes and videos, including some tied to military and pro-war messaging, and reflect growing frustration from both Japanese officials and fans over unauthorised use of copyrighted material by public institutions.

According to a report by Mainichi Shimbun, the ministry contacted the Trump administration at least twice more in June via the US Embassy in Japan, following earlier remarks by Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in April referencing a pro-war video that used Nintendo's Wii Sports. Other incidents include a September 2025 Department of Homeland Security post mixing Pokémon's Ash Ketchum with ICE raid footage, and a March White House video combining Wii Sports clips with footage from US airstrikes on Iran, alongside other franchises like Halo, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dragon Ball. Backlash has also come from fans, notably via the "Protect Japanese Manga" petition on Change.org, which gained renewed attention in June after Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting himself as Naruto.