Japan urges respect for anime copyright after Trump’s Naruto video

Japan has reiterated that the use of anime characters and images requires authorisation from copyright holders after a social media video featuring US President Donald Trump portrayed him as Naruto Uzumaki, the protagonist of the popular anime and manga series Naruto Uzumaki.

Speaking at a press conference, Japanese Minister for Economic Security Kimi Onoda said that, as a general rule, permission from the copyright holder is required to use copyrighted works, including by government institutions, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

Onoda noted that even in cases where copyright infringement is not clearly established, using a work in a way that differs from the intentions of its rights holder could damage the image of the work and negatively affect the copyright owner.

The minister said Japan had repeatedly communicated its position on the issue to the United States through diplomatic channels and would continue engaging with Washington to ensure that Japanese copyrights are respected and handled appropriately.

She also expressed hope that similar incidents would not occur in the future and that the video would not gain wider traction on social media.

The comments came after Trump posted an AI-generated video depicting himself as Naruto Uzumaki, sparking criticism from anime fans online.

By Sabina Mammadli