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TOKYO (Reuters) – As they celebrated Naomi Osaka’s victory in the final of the US Open in Flushing Meadows on Saturday, Tokyoites were eager to embrace their heroines’ stand against racial injustice.
Osaka, who won her third Grand Slam title with the win over Victoria Azarenka, has used her platform to support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, wearing a mask with the name of a different Black American before each of her seven matches in the championship. .
Osaka, who has a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, has become the face of a changing Japan that accepts challenges to its self-image as a racially homogeneous society.
His efforts on and off the court in New York were welcomed by Tokyoites on Sunday.
“I jumped for joy (at his victory),” said Kazuyoshi Hosoya, who was looking to buy an edition of a newspaper celebrating Osaka’s victory.
“I know he is protesting and I heard on TV that he was doing his best to wear all seven face masks (to reach the final).”
“I think it’s surprising that he managed to wear all seven masks.”
Osaka’s strident views on social media have made her an icon for many young Japanese people.
“I am very happy that Naomi, who is an influential person, said ‘Black Lives Matter’ in a public place,” said Mari Maeda, 16.
“I am happy that your message has been received not only in the United States but also in the world, including Japan.”
A report in the Japanese newspaper Mainichi on Friday cited anonymous sources from one of her sponsors who criticized her BLM stance, saying they would rather she focus on tennis.
With her victory in New York, Osaka cannot be accused of letting her activism become a distraction and, following comments from those in Tokyo on Sunday, the sponsor may have misjudged public sentiment.
“Including me, I think there are a lot of people who are not interested in an issue like racism,” said clerk Masateru Tanimoto.
“But (Osaka) has created an opportunity to open up the subject …
“Even if people agree or disagree, I think it’s good that the topic has become a topic of discussion.”
(Reporting by Hideto Sakai; written by Jack Tarrant; edited by Christopher Cushing)
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