Japanese Comedy Duo Who Reportedly Said Naomi Osaka ‘Needed Some Bleach' Issues an Apology

A Japanese comedy duo and their management released a statement apologizing for their insensitive statements about Naomi Osaka "needing some bleach" during one of their most recent live events.

After receiving angry messages from around the world, Japanese comedy duo "A Masso" apologized for the insensitive remarks they made about Naomi Osaka. The duo, speaking about the Tennis star, said that she is "too sunburned" and "needed some bleach."

The Comedy Duo's Apology

In separate messages, the comedians and their management company, Watanabe Entertainment Co LTd., said that they apologize for the "inappropriate, hurtful remarks" they made but did not mention Osaka in their statements.

"Though we should have thought about it, we made remarks that hurt many people, something we will never do again. We sincerely apologize for making the specific person feel uncomfortable, as well as for everyone else connected to the event. We also sincerely apologize for causing trouble."

Raising Awareness on Sensitivity

Likewise, the management also released a statement that did not name Osaka. They also ensured that the duo was warned over their words, and steps were taken to raise their awareness on the issue.

Osaka, who turns 22 in October, was born in Japan to a Haitian father and a Japanese mother. She moved to the United States when she was young, which is where she grew to love the sport of Tennis.

A Previous Controversy

This is not the first time a Japanese company was called out for such issue, as in January, Japanese noodle company "Nissin" had to remove a controversial commercial they made that depicted Osaka with pale skin and light brown hair.

The commercial received a lot of criticism, and the company needed to release a statement saying they did not intend to "whitewash" Osaka and promised to pay more attention to racial issues.

Naomi Osaka's US Open Highlight

Although Naomi failed to reach this year's US Open finals, she made headlines after she comforted crowd-favorite Coco Gauff during their US Open match.

After defeating Gauff with a 6-3, 6-0 score, Naomi approached her opponent and surprised her with such a respectable gesture that left the 15-year-old in tears.

Naomi's Good Heart

Before heading to the post-match interview, Osaka asked Gauff to join her, praising her for her talent.

It turns out, Gauff and Osaka used to train at the same place, and the 21-year-old is just happy to see them both excel in the sport they love the most. Speaking to Coco's parents, Naomi said:

“You guys raised an amazing player. I remember I used to see you guys train in the same place as us, and for me the fact that both of us made it, and we’re both still working as hard as we can, I think it’s incredible. I think you guys are amazing, and I think, Coco, you are amazing.”

With such an incredible heart, it comes with no surprise that people from all over the world are ready to come to Naomi's defense when she's not being treated nicely. That's exactly what happened in the comedy controversy, and it brought about an apology and awareness on such issues.