Japan Officially Warns US Government to Stop Using Nintendo and Pokemon in Memes

When Official Government Posts Run Into IP Law

Government social media has leaned hard into meme culture for years, and the results range from charming to deeply strange. But the US government’s particular habit of reaching for some of Japan’s most beloved gaming and anime franchises has pushed things into genuinely diplomatic territory. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has now formally warned the US about the practice, raising concerns over copyright infringement and potential damage to the brands involved.

According to Mainichi Shimbun, as reported by IGN, the ministry raised the issue with the US Embassy in Tokyo three separate times: in April, in June, and again in August. The ministry is reportedly asking the Trump administration to stop using Japanese intellectual property without permission, and to consider what that usage might do to the franchises being depicted.

The ministry was direct about its position. It stated that “even public institutions require permission from the creator when using intellectual property,” and conveyed “the need to consider the possibility of copyright infringement and damage to the image of the works.”

A Pattern of Unlicensed Posts

The examples that prompted these concerns are varied and, in some cases, pretty surreal. The Department of Homeland Security shared a Pokemon-themed video connected to immigration enforcement. A Pokopia-inspired graphic appeared alongside the slogan “Make America Great Again.” NASA’s Artemis II mission got a Mario montage. And an AI-generated video depicted Donald Trump as Naruto, the long-running manga and anime ninja protagonist.

None of these were authorized by the rights holders. The Pokemon Company was among the first to say so publicly, stating after the DHS video surfaced that it was not involved in creating or distributing the content and had not granted permission for its intellectual property to be used. Several other rights holders have similarly distanced themselves from posts featuring their properties.

Why This Matters Beyond the Memes

It would be easy to treat this as a quirky footnote in an already unusual political moment, but the stakes are real for the companies involved. Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, and other Japanese publishers have spent decades carefully managing how their characters are presented publicly. A government using Pikachu to illustrate immigration policy, or Mario to promote a space mission, creates associations those companies never agreed to and may actively not want.

Japan’s position here is consistent with standard intellectual property law: permission is required, full stop, regardless of who is doing the sharing. The ministry’s framing around “damage to the image of the works” gestures at something beyond pure legal liability, too. Brand perception is a genuinely significant concern for companies like Nintendo, which has historically been one of the stricter IP enforcers in the entire industry.

As of the reporting from Dexerto and IGN, there is no indication that the Trump administration has responded to Japan’s requests or committed to stopping the practice. Japan has now made its position known three times in the span of roughly four months, which suggests the informal approach has not produced results. Whether the warnings eventually prompt any formal policy change, or legal action from individual rights holders, remains to be seen.

For the gaming companies caught in the middle, the situation is awkward in a very specific way. Their characters are globally beloved partly because they have been kept somewhat separate from divisive political contexts. A Pikachu in a DHS video is not the same as Pikachu on a lunchbox, and the people who made that character famous clearly know the difference.