Cartoons International

Japan upset with French cartoons mocking Olympic bid win

Skip to comments

Alan Gardner Published: September 12, 2013 at 8:41 am EDT 1 minute 2 comments

Japan says it will file a complaint with the French embassy in Tokyo because of two cartoons that appeared in the French satirical newspaper “Le Canard Enchaine”. The two cartoons poke fun of Japan’s winning bid to host the 2020 Olympics. The first cartoon (above) depicts two wrestlers with four arms each and another cartoon depicting an olympic swimming pool being tested for radiation.

From the Guardian:

“It is inappropriate and gives the wrong impression about the issue of contaminated water at Fukushima Daiichi,” Suga said. “It is extremely regrettable.”

…

This is not the first time that France ? where nuclear is the primary source of energy ? has offended Japanese sensibilities over Fukushima. Last October the broadcaster France 2 apologised after it screened a composite picture of the Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima with four arms. A presenter attributed Kawashima’s impressive performance in Japan’s shock 1-0 defeat of France in a friendly to the “Fukushima effect”.