{"id":15506,"date":"2019-01-25T15:02:26","date_gmt":"2019-01-26T01:02:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=15506"},"modified":"2019-01-27T08:32:16","modified_gmt":"2019-01-27T18:32:16","slug":"tennis-star-and-nippon-claimed-multiethnic-tennis-star-osaka-naomi-gets-whitewashed-by-her-sponsor-without-consulting-her-compare-with-singer-crystal-kay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=15506","title":{"rendered":"“Nippon Claimed” multiethnic tennis star Osaka Naomi gets “whitewashed” by her sponsor. Without consulting her. Compare with singer Crystal Kay."},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi Blog. Multiethnic tennis star Osaka Naomi, whom we’ve talked about on Debito.org before<\/a> in the context of Japan’s “Nippon Claiming” (where a mudblood is “claimed” to be a “Japanese”, full stop, as long as she’s at the top of her game<\/a>; otherwise her mixed-ethnicity becomes a millstone<\/a>), has now been claimed to the point of “whitewashing”. Yes, her Haitian-American heritage has been washed away in the Japanese media. By one of her main sponsors, no less. \u00a0And they did it without clearing it with her first<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Witness these articles, sent in by many people (h\/t to JK in particular):<\/p>\n

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Ad Showing Naomi Osaka With Light Skin Prompts Backlash and an Apology<\/strong>
\nThe New York Times, Jan 22, 2019<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/01\/22\/world\/asia\/naomi-osaka-anime-ad.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimesworld<\/a><\/p>\n

Naomi Osaka, the half-Haitian, half-Japanese tennis champion, is the star of a new Japanese anime-style advertisement.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The problem? The cartoon Ms. Osaka bears little resemblance to her real, biracial self.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Her skin was unmistakably lightened, and her hair style changed \u2014 a depiction that has prompted criticism in Japan, where she has challenged a longstanding sense of cultural and racial homogeneity<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The ad \u2014 unveiled this month by Nissin, one of the world\u2019s largest instant-noodle brands \u2014 features Ms. Osaka and Kei Nishikori, Japan\u2019s top-ranked male tennis player, in a cartoon drawn by Takeshi Konomi, a well-known manga artist whose series \u201cThe Prince of Tennis\u201d is popular in Japan.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Mr. Konomi and Ms. Osaka, who faces Elina Svitolina in an Australian Open quarterfinal match on Wednesday, have not publicly commented on the reactions to the ad.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But a Nissin spokesman apologized in an email on Tuesday for \u201cthe confusion and discomfort.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The spokesman, Daisuke Okabayashi, said that the characters had been developed in line with Mr. Konomi\u2019s anime series and that the company had communicated with Ms. Osaka\u2019s representatives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no intention of whitewashing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe accept that we are not sensitive enough and will pay more attention to diversity issue in the future.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

After the ad was first published online, people on social media, including many fans of Ms. Osaka\u2019s, said they were deeply disappointed.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Baye McNeil, an author who has lived in Japan for 15 years, said he didn\u2019t understand why the ad would \u201cerase her black features and project this image of pretty much the prototypical anime girl-next-door character.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ms. Osaka\u2019s rise into a beloved national figure has been particularly exciting for biracial people in Japan, known as hafus, who have long battled for acceptance, he said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMaking her look white just tells these people that what they are isn\u2019t good enough,\u201d Mr. McNeil said.<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Ms. Osaka was born in Japan to a Haitian-American father and a Japanese mother, and moved to the United States when she was 3. Although she isn\u2019t fluent in Japanese, often responding to questions from Japanese reporters in English, she has tweeted about her love of manga and Japanese movies.<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Ranked fourth in the world at just 21, she\u2019s already among Japan\u2019s most accomplished tennis players ever. She became the first Japanese-born tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles championship in September when she defeated Serena Williams in the U.S. Open<\/a>, a victory that supercharged her celebrity ascent.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

That win prompted a cartoon in an Australian newspaper that was criticized for its depiction of Ms. Williams<\/a>, which many saw as a racist caricature. While most of the condemnation focused on how the Australian cartoonist drew Ms. Williams, critics also noted that Ms. Osaka was depicted with blond hair and light skin.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Black characters aren\u2019t frequently found in anime, but artists in the medium have successfully depicted their skin tones before<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen there is a black character, it\u2019s clearly a black character,\u201d Mr. McNeil said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The discussion of biracial identity in Japan got a boost in 2015 when Ariana Miyamoto, who is half-Japanese, half-African-American, won the Miss Universe Japan pageant<\/a>. She used her fame to discuss the plight of \u201chafus,\u201d but some in Japan were unwilling to accept her as a model of Japanese beauty.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In interviews, Ms. Osaka has embraced her multicultural background.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe it\u2019s because they can\u2019t really pinpoint what I am,\u201d she said in 2016<\/a>, \u201cso it\u2019s like anybody can cheer for me.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

ENDS
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Baye, mentioned above, commented as follows:<\/p>\n

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\nSomeone lost their noodle making this new Nissin ad featuring Naomi Osaka<\/strong>
\nBY BAYE MCNEIL<\/strong>
\nThe Japan Times, JAN 19, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

This month, cup noodle maker Nissin served up its animated \u201cHungry to win\u201d ad campaign, drawn by \u201cPrince of Tennis\u201d artist Takeshi Konomi and featuring actual tennis prince Kei Nishikori and our newest bona fide global star, Naomi Osaka.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d been anticipating Osaka\u2019s appearance since it isn\u2019t often that a high-profile woman of color is featured in a major Japanese ad campaign. So when I cued it up on YouTube I was truly disappointed to see that there was no woman of color to speak of in the commercial. Instead, I found a white-washed representation of Osaka that could\u2019ve easily been based off a TV personality like Becky or Rola. Everything that distinguishes Osaka from your typical Japanese anime character was gone, and what was left? Your typical Japanese anime character.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Come on, Nissin. Was this a business decision? Did you have concerns that your customers might be forced to uncomfortably ponder issues of race or ethnicity while slurping down a bowl of U.F.O. Yakisoba?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sure, anime fans aren\u2019t used to seeing women of color in the genre so \u2026 a few shades lighter on the skin here \u2026 a debroadening of the nose there \u2026 the de-exoticization of her hair \u2026 and, voila! The perfectly palatable girl next door. Not for this fan, though. Osaka\u2019s de-blackening is as problematic to me as a Bobby Riggs tirade against female tennis players…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rest at https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/community\/2019\/01\/19\/our-lives\/someone-lost-noodle-making-new-nissin-ad-featuring-naomi-osaka\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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Nissin apologizes for skin color of Osaka in ad<\/strong>
\nThe Japan News\/Jiji Press January 23, 2019<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/the-japan-news.com\/news\/article\/0005497740<\/a><\/p>\n

NEW YORK (Jiji Press) \u2014 Nissin Food Products Co. has apologized in an email for depicting the skin color of tennis player Naomi Osaka in an anime-style advertisement as lighter than her actual pigmentation, The New York Times reported Tuesday.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The online edition of the U.S. newspaper said that the ad depicting Osaka, born to a Haitian-American father and a Japanese mother, has been criticized in Japan for whitewashing.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe accept that we are not sensitive enough,\u201d a spokesman for the Nissin Foods Holdings Co. unit was quoted as saying.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Osaka character used in the anime ad for the company\u2019s Cup Noodles was designed by manga artist Takeshi Konomi, known for his comic series \u201cThe Prince of Tennis.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The ad also features Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori, who, like Osaka, is sponsored by Nissin.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The New York Times reported that the Osaka figure depicted in the ad \u201cbears little resemblance to her real, biracial self,\u201d adding, \u201cHer skin was unmistakably lightened.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
\nENDS<\/p>\n

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Sponsor of Naomi Osaka retracts ad videos over skin color dispute<\/strong>
\nJanuary 24, 2019 (Mainichi Japan)<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/mainichi.jp\/english\/articles\/20190124\/p2g\/00m\/0bu\/009000c<\/a><\/p>\n

TOKYO (Kyodo) — A Japanese food company which is a sponsor of 2018 U.S. Open winner Naomi Osaka removed video advertisements from YouTube on Wednesday following a dispute over the skin color of a character featuring the tennis star.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nissin Foods Holdings Co. created two pieces of animated video aimed at promoting its signature product Cup Noodle featuring characters of Osaka as well as Kei Nishikori, another Japanese tennis player the Tokyo company supports.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But Nissin chose to stop running them at the request of Osaka’s management agency in the United States following controversy in which some questioned Nissin’s creations, saying the color of Osaka’s character was lightened.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nissin denied it had intended to make the skin color white and apologized for having caused confusion.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“We will be more mindful of the issue of diversity,” an official of the company said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The dispute emerged as Osaka, a U.S.-based 21-year-old athlete whose father is Haitian and mother is Japanese, advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the official, Nissin consulted with the Japanese arm of Osaka’s agency in making the anime pieces but failed to communicate properly with its U.S. parent.<\/em><\/strong>
\nENDS<\/p>\n

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COMMENT<\/strong>: \u00a0And, as the Guardian reported from an interview with Osaka:
\n