Despite the current US government's "America first" philosophy, the White House makes no secret of its love for Japanese art and animation. To celebrate NASA's moon flyby in April, the White House posted a video not of a Disney or Warner Bros character but Mario, a Japanese Italian plumber, representing the US in space. Latest Videos From Creative Bloq Watch full video here:You literally just brought a 20 year old home in a box and you post fucking cartoon videos like this war is a joke! This makes me think poorly of the Nintendo brand now.March 28, 2026Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Toshimitsu Motegi, criticised the White House comms in a parliamentary session back in April. According to the Mainichi Shimbun, formal messages have since been relayed, with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs making multiple requests for the US government stop posting content featuring characters from franchises like Mario, Pokémon and Naruto.