Japanese feminists have taken offense to a new set of mascots for the public transportation (bus, taxicab) company Mie Kotsu.

The new mascots were designed to celebrate the company’s 80th anniversary and celebrate the drivers who keep things running smoothly. To celebrate both the men and women who work for the company, Mie Kotsu made the inclusive decision to create a male and female mascot.

However this wasn’t enough as Japanese feminists considered the cute anime girl to be objectifying and sexualized, despite the male character being created in a similar style.

【公式キャラクター誕生】
三重交通グループ創立８０周年を機に、当社公式キャラクターが誕生しました☺キャラクターの名前は皆さまから募集します！

詳細は下記ページをご覧ください👇https://t.co/uKODX99vpM pic.twitter.com/RBnHhTavaL

— 三重交通【公式】 (@miekotsu_bus) January 26, 2024

This isn’t the first time Japanese feminists have tried to tear down something seemingly wholesome. Over the past few years, the achievements of Japanese feminists include:

• Cancelling a blood drive because the anime character used to promote it was too curvy.
• Cancelling public safety PSA’s because they used a VTuber with an exposed midriff.
• Undermining a local ad campaign to promote agriculture because they used an anime girl.

One Japanese feminist accused the ad campaign of being “malicious” and obscene:

However the Streisand Effect is on full display and supportive comments have begun to outnumber the complaints.