Japan has repeatedly pressed the Trump administration over the use of Japanese entertainment properties in U.S. government social-media posts, expanding what began as a copyright dispute into a broader concern over how some of the country's best-known cultural exports are being associated with American political messaging. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised the issue with the U.S. through diplomatic channels, including at least twice through the U.S. Embassy in Japan in June, according to reporting by the Mainichi Shimbun. Japanese officials have cited both the unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted works and the potential effect political use could have on globally recognized franchises. The dispute follows a series of posts from the White House and other U.S. agencies that have borrowed imagery, footage or references from Japanese games and anime.