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Generative AI is a major hot button issue around the globe, including the Land of the Rising sun, also known as Japan, Nintendo’s home country. The company was recently embroiled in a bit of controversy owing to unfounded rumors that it had been lobbying the Japanese government against generative AI, a claim that the company took to its Japanese X account to deny:
Contrary to recent discussions on the internet, Nintendo has not had any contact with the Japanese government about generative AI. Whether generative AI is involved or not, we will continue to take necessary actions against infringement of our intellectual property rights.
— 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) October 5, 2025
So where did the rumor come from in the first place? That would be Japanese politician Satoshi Asano, who was discussing concerns over OpenAI’s Sora 2 being raised by various companies and IP holders, specifying Nintendo on his official X account, which has since been deleted. Asano even went so far as to claim that Nintendo of America has been setting aside funds specifically to lobby against the use of generative AI software. Naturally, Nintendo wasn’t pleased by Asano making these claims and evidently reached out in some capacity, as Asano not only deleted the original comment, as noted above, but has also gone on to issue a number of apologies and corrections, including this one on his X account:
先日、私が投稿した内容について、誤った情報が記載されていた部分があり、下記の通り訂正をさせていただきました。自らの事実を確認不足を反省しています。関係者の皆様には改めてお詫びを申し上げ、再発防止に努めて参ります。… https://t.co/8aJ8slMUzl
— 浅野さとし🌿衆議院議員🌿国民民主党🌿茨城5区(日立市・高萩市・北茨城市・東海村) (@Asano__Satoshi) October 5, 2025
Regarding the content I posted the other day, there was a section with incorrect information, which I have corrected as follows. I deeply regret my own failure to verify the facts adequately. I would like to apologize once again to all related parties and will strive to prevent any recurrence. Additionally, regarding the original post that contained the incorrect information, it has been confirmed that it is being disseminated again after appearing in X’s trends, so to prevent the further spread of information that differs from the facts and to avoid causing any more trouble, I have just deleted it. Once again, I will take this as a lesson and make use of it moving forward.
-Translated by X
Nintendo is rather notorious for its litigious nature when trying to protect its numerous, valuable IPs, but having a politician make unfounded claims about the company was apparently a bridge too far. However, given the large, vocal derision that has been aimed towards generative AI and the companies that brazenly steal the work of artists to bolster their programs and algorithms, it would be hard to hold it against Nintendo had it been lobbying as Asano claimed.
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Source: GamesIndustry.biz
