One of Naomi Osaka’s sponsors has been forced to apologize after depicting the Japanese tennis star, who is half-Haitian, "with pale skin in an advertisement," according to Justin McCurry of the London GUARDIAN. Nissin featured Osaka in an ad for its Cup Noodle range of instant ramen. It depicts Osaka, who holds dual Japanese and American citizenship, "with pale skin, wavy brown hair and Caucasian facial features." The company said that it had not intended to "whitewash" the athlete, who "became a national hero in Japan" after beating Serena Williams to win the women’s singles title at the US Open in September last year. A Nissin spokesperson said, "There is no intention of whitewashing. We accept that we are not sensitive enough and will pay more attention to diversity issues in the future." The company did not say what would become of the "Hungry to Win" ad, which was designed by Takeshi Konomi, a veteran manga artist "best known for his popular Prince of Tennis series." The ad, which also features her compatriot Kei Nishikori, "drew criticism on social media, with many users accusing Nissin of whitewashing Osaka, whose mother is Japanese" (GUARDIAN, 1/22). The BBC reported many people have been "left questioning how exactly this could happen a second time." When an Australian cartoonist depicted Osaka as a blonde-haired, white-skinned woman in September, the controversy "took weeks to die down." One Twitter user asked Konomi, "Why, does [anyone] change the skin colour to something that deviates from the real person so much?" Osaka has not commented on the issue -- "no doubt more worried" about her upcoming semifinal against Czech player Karolina Pliskova. But the row has "once again cast a light on the issue of race and discrimination in Japan." Japan is a country which is -- "even now -- extremely homogenous" (BBC, 1/23). In Tokyo, Baye McNeil wrote "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?" Anime fans "aren't used to seeing women of color in the genre." Nissin said that Osaka was "involved in the ad's creation, but how are we to know to what extent?" Nissin "blew it" (JAPAN TIMES, 1/19).
