Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) apologized to customers after it aired an advertisement showing a Japanese actor with a big nose and blonde wig.
The customers complained that the TV commercial was offensive and racist. But, ANA clarified that the 30-second ad focused on the improved schedule of international flights from Tokyo's Haneda airport in March, reported the Agence France-Presse.
The ad shows two men in ANA pilot uniforms talking about how they will be heading off to new destinations such as Hanoi and Vancouver, reported Reuters. "Let's change the image of Japanese!" one says turning to his companion only to find out that he now wears a large fake nose and a blonde wig. "Of course," he replies.
Another ANA advertisement shows one man surprising his companion by offering to hug him, not a common practice in Japan, according to Reuters.
The ad created a furor among English speaking Japanese, who used the social media to vent their displeasure.
"I've just seen the new ANA advert...Really? ANA think this is OK?!" Angela Fukutome said in a message posted on ANA's Facebook page, AFP reported. "If you are a foreigner and have planned to come to #Japan do not choose an openly racist airline like #ANA! Watch their Japanese commercial," tweeted @sibylleito on Twitter.
Following criticisms, ANA apologized to its fans on Facebook. "We heard a lot of opinions from customers about points in our ad that didn't match with our intention," the ANA spokeswoman said. "Our intention was to show Japanese becoming more active and essential to the world."
"We apologised to each of the customers for having caused uncomfortable feelings and also thanked them for bringing up the issue," she told AFP.
