Or maybe both?“I get why people would be upset about it,” she said. "She added: "I don't think they did it on purpose to be 'whitewashing' or anything, but I definitely think that, next time they try to portray me or something, I feel like they should talk to me about it. After winning the US Open in September, she became the first Japanese person, male or female, to earn a Grand Slam title, and now, as she guns for her second, she’s becoming a truly international star, which brings with it certain complications.The situation with the Nissin ad is curious, as Westerners tend to voice questions about conventions of imperialism and project them onto Japanese manga and other cultural exports.

People accused the company of making Osaka look European I don’t think they did it on purpose to be, like, whitewashing or anything. "I've talked to [Nissin] and they've apologised," she told journalists at the Australian Open. She writes about pop culture, fashion, the arts, and literature. They’ve apologized,’ says OsakaMELBOURNE, Australia — Naomi Osaka addressed concerns that one of her sponsors, the Japanese ramen company Nissin Foods, whitewashed her image in a new campaign called Hungry to Win.The campaign, designed by Takeshi Konomi, creator of the manga series Some thoughts on Nissin's Whitewashing of Naomi Osaka and what it signifies. Naomi Osaka, who is Haitian-Japanese, says "I'm tan, it's pretty obvious" after her sponsor apologises. The latest and best from The Undefeated — straight to your inbox These are external links and will open in a new window Japanese noodle company Nissin, a sponsor of Osaka, apologised on Wednesday after whitening her face in an ad which displayed the US Open champion as an anime character.

"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. These are external links and will open in a new windowTennis star Naomi Osaka has responded after one of her sponsors was accused of "whitewashing" her in a drawing, saying: "I'm tan, it's pretty obvious. 2018 U.S. Open champion, Naomi Osaka, just made her first appearance on a Japanese television ad, starring alongside fellow tennis player and countryman, Kei Nishikori, for Nissin cup noodles. All rights reserved. "It is not the first time that Osaka has found her victories on the court overshadowed by a row over a cartoon.Responding to the latest backlash on Wednesday, a Nissin spokesperson said there was "no intention of whitewashing". “I’ve talked to them. That’s tricky territory to navigate, and if Osaka keeps winning and her profile and WTA ranking keep rising, it’s something that’s bound to come up again.Soraya Nadia McDonald is the culture critic for The Undefeated.

Nissin Foods, a Japanese company specialising in instant noodles, has removed an advert featuring tennis star Naomi Osaka after being accused of whitewashing the 21-year-old. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Osaka, 21, plays under the Japanese flag and lives and trains in Florida. "It's obvious, I'm tan. Commentary Naomi Osaka appears whitewashed in ad campaign for sponsor Nissin Foods ‘I’ve talked to them. “The person that, like, drew that, I’m not really sure, but I think he was the creator of Thanks to the way the internet has brought the world closer together, there’s really no such thing as a “local” ad campaign anymore. "We accept that we are not sensitive enough and will pay more attention to diversity issues in the future. But I definitely think that the next time they try to portray me or something, I feel like they should talk to me about it.”Osaka’s mother, Tamaki Osaka, is Japanese. The issue of race and racism, therefore, is perhaps not as obvious to people on a daily basis.Today, attitudes - and the country's homogeneity - are changing. She speaks and understands Japanese but answers questions posed in Japanese in English. Yet even with stars like 21-year-old Osaka - not to mention the sprinter Asuka Cambridge, baseball player Yu Darvish and judo star Mashu Baker - the "hafu" still face prejudice. About one in every 50 babies born in Japan are mixed race like Osaka, who was mainly raised in the US but born in the city of Osaka. The beauty contest winner making Japan look at itself Serena Williams: Cartoonist denies US Open depiction is racist Serena Williams and the trope of the 'angry black woman' Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. They’ve apologized,” she said in a news conference after beating Karolina Pliskova to advance to the final of the Australian Open, where she will face Petra Kvitová of the Czech Republic. Just try Googling “So was the Nissin ad an example of whitewashing or was Konomi simply rendering Osaka in a way that’s consistent with his general style?