Japan reacts to tennis star Naomi Osaka’s protest in support of Black Lives Matter · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

“Naomi Osaka on leading tennis to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake.” Screencap from August 28, 2020, from ESPN official YouTube channel.
On August 27, Japanese tennis superstar Naomi Osaka briefly suspended her participation in the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament in the United States following the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Osaka's “new voice” against racism drew accolades and, predictably, criticism in Japan.
Jacob Blake's shooting in Wisconsin on August 23, 2020, part of a historical pattern of violence against Black and BIPOC people by police in the United States, has provoked massive criticism and civil disobedience across the United States.
Numerous athletes and sports teams staged wildcat strikes to protest Blake's shooting. In a tweet on August 27, Osaka stated she would withdraw from the Western & Southern Open tournament to “get a conversation started in a majority white sport” (tennis):
pic.twitter.com/miKzgSdGxY
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) August 27, 2020
Following Osaka's announcment, tournament organizers announced a pause in play on Thursday, August 27, with play to resume on Friday, August 28. Osaka then announced she would rejoin the tournament, returning to the tennis court wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt.
Statement made.
Quite the 48 hours from @naomiosaka ✊? pic.twitter.com/0hPzDWLNWC
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 28, 2020
In a statement to multiple news outlets, Osaka said:
As you know, I pulled out of the tournament yesterday in support of racial injustice and continued police violence. […] I was (and am) ready and prepared to concede the match to my opponent. However, after my announcement and lengthy consultation with the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) and USTA (United States Tennis Association), I have agreed at their request to play on Friday. They offered to postpone all matches until Friday and in my mind that brings more attention to the movement.
Naomi Osaka, widely considered the top women's tennis player in the world, is a Japanese citizen with both Japanese and Haitian heritage, who grew up in the United States speaking Japanese and Creole. In order to conform with Japanese citizenship requirements, which do not permit dual-nationality, and represent Japan in the 2018 Olympics, Osaka relinquished American citizenship.
Osaka is a popular figure in Japan, thanks to her winning record on the tennis courts, and her playful online persona. However, Osaka has endured racist online attacks, sometimes for seemingly innocuous tweets, at other times for supporting and raising awareness about #BlackLivesMatter in Japan.
One popular Twitter user, who describes herself as a “Japanese-American Hapa” (a person who is partially of Asian or Pacific Islander descent), in a tweet shared tens of thousands of times rounded up the various criticisms made against Osaka in Japan:
大阪なおみさんの試合ボイコットに対する日本語コメントが最悪すぎる。
「やっぱり日本人じゃなかった」
「スポンサーに対して迷惑」
「こんなことしても無駄」
「警察に殺されるようなことをした本人が悪い」
全て拾いきれない。本当に酷い。
— あんな (@annaPHd9pj) August 27, 2020
The Japanese-language comments about Naomi Osaka's decision to boycott her tennis matches are absolutely terrible:
“I guess she isn't really Japanese, after all.”
“Think of the hardship her sponsors are facing.”
“Boycotting the matches doesn't do anything.”
“The guy who got shot by police deserved it.”
Yamaoka Tetsuhide, a prominent ultra-conservative commentator, chided Osaka in English, going so far as to use the diminutive and condescending honorific “chan” when addressing the global tennis superstar:
Naomi Chan, I know what you must feel but I think it’s a totally separate issue. You can freely express your concern by all means but please don’t walk away from tennis court as you are professional tennis player we love.
⁦⁦⁦⁦@naomiosaka⁩ https://t.co/eFJX6FQPbG
— 山岡鉄秀 (@jcn92977110) August 27, 2020
However, many more people in Japan showed their support of Osaka, including Fukuyama Kazuhito, a prominent lawyer and mayoral candidate in Kyoto.
大坂なおみさん
「私はアスリートである前に、黒人女性です。そして、私がテニスをするのを見てもらうより、もっと大事なことがあると思っています」
おそらく苦渋の選択だったと思う。私は支持する。 https://t.co/LwXxbOitnu
— 福山和人 (@kaz_fukuyama) August 27, 2020
Ms. Naomi Osaka:
“Before I'm an athlete I am a black woman. And as a Black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis.”
Probably a tough choice. I support Naomi Osaka.
Huffington Post: “Naomi Osaka announces boycott of match to protest police shooting black man”
Ishigaki Noriko, a municipal councilor from Sendai and member of a prominent opposition party in Japan:
大坂なおみさんの抗議の意思表示と行動があって、大会が「人種差別や社会的な不公平に抗議するため」として試合を見合わせました。
大会側が彼女の主張に呼応したのだから出場に応じるのは何ら矛盾はありません。
構造的なあらゆる人種差別への抗議に連帯します。https://t.co/A3ew5hcIar
— 石垣のりこ (@norinotes) August 28, 2020
Thanks to Naomi Osaka's protest and activism, the tournament was postponed by tournament organizers as a “statement against racism and social injustice.” Osaka is not contradicting herself when she agreed to resume participation, since the tournament responded (to Osaka's message).
I stand in solidarity with the protest against all structural racism.
NHK article: “Naomi Osaka resumes participation in tennis tournament.”
When Osaka resumed play on Friday, August 28, she was forced to quickly withdraw once again, due to a pulled hamstring.