Tokyo Game Show 2009 Recap: Is Mr. James Emblematic of the Problem?

The most prominent foreigner I saw during my weeklong stay in Japan wasn't some hotshot game designer, a touring music superstar, or even a pro athlete.

It was current McDonald's mascot Mr. James.

Forget about that creepy clown -- in Japan, the earnest, easily excitable Mr. James is the face and voice of McDonald's these days, and he's everywhere. Hop on the subway, and you'll see his ads playing on the trains. Turn on the TV, and there he is again. Walk past any McDonald's, and you'll soon become acquainted with a life-sized version of the bespectacled, geeky, broken-Japanese-speaking (fictional) Ohio native. And since McDonald's occupies approximately every 100 yards in places like Shibuya and Shinjuku, your chances of bumping into a cardboard cutout of Mr. James are approximately 100 percent.

But imagine if a group of Japanese businessman came to New York and saw a bumbling Japanese immigrant character dominating advertising on the NYC subway, on TV, and even in Times Square. I don't think they'd come away with very positive impressions of the country -- and they might be reluctant to do business there. Mr. James gives the impression of a country a little out of touch with the current international climate. Japan is filled with dorky white dudes spouting broken Japanese -- I should know! But since the Japanese economy is going to be increasingly reliant on foreign trust and investment -- especially the gaming industry -- is this really the kind of image Japan wants to be projecting? Many observers wonder if the Japanese gaming industry is out of touch with the rest of the world, and caricatures like Mr. James only add ammunition to that argument.

I'm not offended by Mr. James -- like I told 1UP editor Matt Leone in Tokyo, I'm more offended McDonald's didn't ask me to audition for the part! -- but I'm personally worried at the impression it gives, especially in this economic climate. It's not the 1980s anymore, and Japan doesn't live in a bubble anymore, either -- literally or figuratively. It's a little issue in the grand scheme of things...but little things can make a big difference.

Tags: Tokyo Game Show

Problem? Report this post

Toby Davis

October 03, 2009

For a moment I thought that was the Verizon guy :)

Report | Reply

David Matos

Just another example of Japan thinks it's the only place in the world. I don't know who is worse, the Japanese people who actually think this of Americans/North Americans or the white nerdy Anime freaks who feed that culture. [quote] It's not the 1980s anymore, and Japan doesn't live in a bubble anymore, either -- literally or figuratively[/quote] I would love to see Japan encased in one of those anti-escape orbs on the Simpsons, haha.

Travis McReynolds

I agree that the Mr. James character is indicative of Japan's history of xenophobia, but I'm hesitant to say this goes any deeper than a silly ad campaign of questionable taste. Other countries do this as well. The Taco Bell dog is a prime example and the over-serious Japanese businessman is a mainstay on American TV. I found the people I interacted with in Japan were hospitable to foreigners and in many cases bilingual- far more than you can say about the average US citizen.

Daniel Feit

It's a problem because there are so few counter-examples present in Japanese media. Foreigners are omnipresent in Japanese advertising but they are usually silent (models mostly) or they are like Mr. James - comedic fodder. There's virtually no "foreigners are ordinary people" representations out there and it makes me sad. I know my Japanese isn't perfect and it never will be, but there are plenty of others who are out there and speak quite well. Why can't the image of foreigners evolve?

October 04, 2009

I'm not saying the image of foreigners shouldn't or can't evolve, I'm just saying that condemning Japan for this ad and not admitting that we do the same as often in the US creates a double standard. Be nice to Americans in Japan, and we'll do as we please stateside. Anyone who is offended by this can start acting by speaking out against similar representations in their home country.

I can't deny that US advertisers engage in stereotyping, but there's still an abundance of non-White people in ads, movies and TV shows. It's far from universal equality but there's an effort being put forth. Japan isn't doing that, they're continuing to preserve their misguided notion that all foreigners are temporary visitors or ignorant tourists at best and malevolent criminals at worst. This isn't a reflection on the way Japanese people behave, at least not directly. No one has ever asked me about illegal activities or mistreated me in that regards, but they routinely treat me like I'm just here for a quick buck and I'll be going "home" anyday now. Nevermind the fact that my wife is Japanese and we've got a newborn baby - people still wonder when I'm going "home." The bottom line is that when negative, stereotypical representations of any race appear in the US, people take notice. Sometimes they even react with anger. There has been no mainstream questioning of this ad campaign in Japan and the online responses I've seen have been met with indifference from the McDonald's corporation. I don't "condemn" Japan for that but this country is unique in its casual tolerance of xenophobia.

Nick Giunta

[quote]Japan is filled with dorky white dudes spouting broken Japanese[/quote] Well said.

@ Daniel- Word. My experience in Japan is, of course, supremely limited compared to yours. Also, my time with Japanese media is spent primarily with video games- which further skews my opinion. You're right. Japan is and has always been xenophobic and is, inarguably, 'worse' than other countries I've visited. I'm just making the point that humans around the world are racist, sexist, and everything else-ist. Change would be great, but it won't come quickly. Also, what do you do in Japan?

October 05, 2009

I teach English to elementary schoolchildren in rural Osaka, so even though I live close to a major metropolis with plenty of foreign residents, I am the only non-Japanese face my students see with any regularity. Indeed, I'd wager for some of them I was the first white man they ever saw. It amazes me how children who are too young to know normal social behavioral patterns have already decided how to treat me as an outsider. I don't know when they learn these ideas but it must be at an extremely early age. But hey, if I didn't love it here I wouldn't stay. You can read about my activities on my blog, [url]feitclub.com[/url] And for the record, my disdain for Mr. James hasn't stopped me from eating the occasional McD's junk food, so I'm hardly outraged by the ads - just disappointed I suppose.

Tetsuo Ogawa

October 15, 2009

This is rich coming from you Fitch. You [b]are[/b] Mr. James, through and through.