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Japanese Government Criticizes U.S. President Trump's Use of Naruto Imagery

U.S. President Donald Trump's Truth Social account posted a video using likenesses of the manga and anime franchise Naruto on June 6, and Japan's Minister of State for Economic Security, Science and Technology Policy, Space Policy, and Intellectual Property Strategy, Kimi Onoda, responded with criticism during a press conference on Friday. Onoda said, “Even if it might not constitute clear copyright infringement, [we] should exercise extreme caution to avoid situations where the reputation of a work is damaged by its use in a manner contrary to the rights holders' intent.”

Onoda added, “We intend to continue to take appropriate measures, including communication with the United States, to ensure that our country's copyrights are handled properly. […] I sincerely hope that similar incidents will not be repeated and that this post will not be further disseminated.”

Trump's June 6 post was a 60-second generative AI video of the president in different countries set to a tune claiming, “Everywhere I go they love Donald Trump.” At the 45-second mark, Trump appears in clothing reminiscent of Naruto's title protagonist Naruto Uzumaki, including the Village of the Hidden Leaf headband. The background features a likeness of Hokage Rock from the story. As of press time, Trump has not removed the video.

Warning: video contains offensive imagery.

The Trump Administration's Use of Intellectual Property in Social Media Posts

In September 2025, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a video of DHS officers detaining people set to the tune of Pokémon's American theme song. In March, the White House's social media account posted a modified version of the Pokémon Pokepia's box art to read the current administration's slogan, "Make America Great Again."

Following both incidents, The Pokémon Company released a statement saying it was not involved with the creation of the video and image and had not given the Trump administration permission to use the intellectual property of The Pokémon Company.

The White House's social media account also posted several videos which edited images of this year's Iran War and clips from Dragon Ball Super, Yu-Gi-Oh!, American animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, several Marvel and DC movies, TV series, films, and video games including Grand Theft Auto together in March. The Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise then released a statement noting that it and the estate of series creator Kazuki Takahashi were not involved with the creation of the video and had not given the Trump administration permission to use the intellectual property.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan filed a complaint with the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo over the use of anime imagery, Shige Watanabe, a deputy director-general and deputy assistant minister in the ministry's Economic Affairs Bureau, said in an April legislative hearing, “It is inappropriate even for public institutions to reproduce copyrighted works without permission.”

The White House's social media account posted on June 13 a separate video claiming “Mission accomplished,” set to the Cowboy Bebop anime's opening theme song “Tank!” The video further includes audio and video clips from several anime series including Dragon Ball Z, The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and My Hero Academia, as well as the WWE Smackdown program, and video game Persona 5.

As of press time, the U.S. government and Trump's accounts have not removed any of the videos.

Sources: Donald Trump's Truth Social account, Asahi News' YouTube channel, Japan Times, Mainichi Shimbun, Shukan Josei Prime, The White House's X/Twitter account via Hachima Kikō (link 2), Naruto's X/Twitter account