Nippon Airways sorry for racist ad (photo)

Japanese Airline Apologizes for Racist TV Ad

All Nippon Airways (ANA), a commercial air carrier based in Japan, has come under fire for its newest television commercial which many critics say is blatantly racist. In the ad, two Japanese males dressed in ANA uniforms are discussing ways of improving the carrier’s image, when one of them begins wearing a blonde wig and a prosthetic that makes his nose appear much longer. The change in appearance, according to the Japanese people, gives the man more desirable facial features, but many are calling their attempt at humor to be “openly racist”.

Officials at All Nippon Airways have acknowledged that they have received numerous complaints, primarily from non-Japanese customers, about the message being given in the ad. A spokesman for ANA says that the airline did not intend to make viewers of the televised ad or any of its customers uncomfortable and extended a sincere apology for doing so. ANA is currently reviewing its options for continuing the commercial but has not yet decided whether or not the ad will be pulled and replaced with another. Unlike many other countries around the globe, Japan is home to one racial group and has only small clusters of immigrants throughout the nation.

on the web:
Nippon Airways sorry for racist ad
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/2014/01/21/05/16/japanese-airline-sorry-over-racist-tv-ad