Japanese comedians apologise for ‘joking’ that tennis star Naomi Osaka – of Japanese and Haitian heritage – needed ‘some bleach’ and was ‘sunburned’

• Female double act ‘A Masso’ made the ‘hurtful’ comments during a live show 
• Osaka has been forced to face down controversies in past about dual heritage
• She was catapulted to international fame in 2018 after beating Serena Williams

A pair of Japanese comedians who joked that tennis superstar Naomi Osaka needed ‘bleach’ have apologised for the ‘hurtful’ jibe.

Female double act ‘A Masso’, who are relatively unknown, had also said that the 21-year-old former world number one was ‘too sunburned’.

Osaka, who is of Japanese and Haitian origin, has been forced to face down controversies in the past about her dual heritage.

During a live performance on Sunday, A Masso – comprising of members ‘Kano’ and ‘Murkami’ – made what they have now admitted were ‘ignorant’ comments.

Naomi Osaka won the Pan Pacific Open in Osaka, western Japan, in front of her home crowd this weekend

Osaka, who is of Japanese and Haitian origin, has been forced to face down controversies in the past about her dual heritage in what is a traditionally homogeneous country

Their management firm Watanabe Entertainment added: ‘We apologise for our failure to supervise A Masso who made remarks that entirely lacked consideration.’

Osaka has not commented publicly on the comedians’ remarks.  

Osaka was catapulted to international fame in 2018 when she caused a major upset by beating Serena Williams to clinch the US Open title. 

She is the face of several leading Japanese brands, including the carrier ANA, and ‘Naomi-chan’ – as she is affectionately known – was the main attraction at this month’s Pan Pacific Open in Osaka, which she won.

Osaka was catapulted to international fame in 2018 when she caused a major upset by beating Serena Williams (right) to clinch the US Open title

But she has faced controversies over her dual heritage, as well as scrutiny for her imperfect Japanese speaking skills – though others insist it adds to her charm.

In January, her sponsor Nissin Foods, known for its pot noodles, was accused of ‘whitewashing’ for an animated ‘anime’ style advert that depicted Osaka with pale skin.

Nissin Foods said Osaka had approved the advert but pulled it after a media firestorm.

She currently ranks at number four in the world, after a disappointing Wimbledon competition which saw her crash out in the first round. 

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