Naomi Osaka has been a strong advocate for racial justice in the United States. The Japanese tennis star has supported the Black Lives Matter movement on social media platforms, and she wore seven different masks bearing the names of victims of police brutality during her run at the US Open. Osaka has also been vocal about racial issues in her home country. The 23-year-old recently collaborated with Nike for a commercial focusing on the challenges faced by mixed-race children in Japan. However, the advert has stirred a huge controversy in the Asian country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G02u6sN_sRc
Osaka collaborated with Nike for an advert highlighting racial issues in Japan
In the Nike commercial, three mixed-race teenagers open up about their struggles to fit into Japanese society. The youngsters struggle to get along with their friends, and they have to deal with bullying and discrimination because of their unique appearance. Osaka does not feature prominently in the video, but she makes a brief appearance as a source of inspiration for the three teenagers. At the end of the advert, the youngsters find an escape in various sporting activities, and they declare that the challenges they face will not stop them from achieving their goals.
Several fans have criticized Nike for using sports to address cultural and ethnic subjects
The advertisement has sparked controversy in Japan because of its message about racial integration. Several fans have criticized Nike and Osaka for using sporting activities to address potentially divisive issues. A section of citizens took to social media and argued that Nike should have consulted its Japanese employees to get a better understanding of racial experiences and issues in the country. Some tennis fans have threatened to boycott Nike products if the company continues to run the advert. However, the global sports firm has maintained that the stories shown in the commercial were based on the real-life experiences of mixed-race athletes from Japan.
Osaka has not yet made a public comment about the contentious advert. However, in a past interview, the 23-year-old reality star insisted that she wouldn’t backpedal in her quest to highlight racial issues in any country. Osaka’s mother, Tamaki, is from Japan, while her father, Leonard, is from Haiti. Her parents moved to the United States when she was 3 years old after Tamaki fell out with her family for marrying a black foreigner. Racial integration in Japan remains a sensitive issue since close to 98% of its citizens are ethnic Japanese. Last year, Osaka was involved in another divisive advert when Nissin produced a cartoon commercial that portrayed the Japanese star as a white teenager. Tennis fans were not happy with the “whitewashed” cartoon advert, and the company had to pull it down and apologize to its customers. While racial issues in Japan are a delicate subject, Osaka has not backed down from trying to change the perception of mixed-race athletes in her home country.
Naomi Osaka in 2020
Now the world no.3, Naomi played her last match on the 12th of September when she beat Victoria Azarenka 1-6 6-3 6-3 in the final of the U.S. Open to win her 6th career title.
This season the Japanese has a 16-3 win-loss record. Osaka has won 1 title at the U.S. Open. Naomi reached the final in New York.
