A video advertisement from Nike Japan against bullying and racism that features biracial athletes and other minorities, such as Japanese of Korean descent, has prompted a sharp online response, including calls to boycott the company.
Japan has traditionally prided itself on being racially homogeneous, although successful mixed-race athletes such as tennis star Naomi Osaka are challenging that image.
The commercial, titled Keep Moving: Yourself, the Future, released on Monday, shows several teenage girls bullied in school over their race or other differences, but who ultimately find confidence through soccer prowess.
Photo: EPA-EFE
One scene features a girl whose father is black surrounded by fellow students, squealing and pulling her hair.
The video, as of yesterday viewed 14.1 million times on Nike Japan’s Twitter feed, had racked up 63,000 likes, but also a cascade of critical comments from many who vowed never to buy Nike products again.
“Nowadays, you often see one or two people of different nationalities going to school perfectly peacefully. The one that’s prejudiced is Nike,” a user named “hira1216” wrote.
Another asked: “Is it so much fun to blame Japan?”
Although Japanese sports fans have celebrated Osaka, who counts Nike as a sponsor and makes a cameo appearance in the video, she was once depicted as a cartoon character by another sponsor, Nissin Foods, with pale skin and light brown hair, while a comedy duo said that she “needed some bleach.”
Nike Japan was not immediately able to comment on the response, but said on its Web site that it believes in the transformative nature of sports.
“We have long listened to minority voices, supported and spoken for causes that fit our values,” it said. “We believe sports have the power to show what a better world looks like, to bring people together and encourage action in their respective communities.”
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