[ti:Naomi Osaka Sponsor Drops Ad after Criticism] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.01]Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka says [00:04.29]she hopes companies she represents will talk with her [00:08.26]about how to present her in future advertisements. [00:12.77]Osaka was asked about criticism of her sponsor, [00:17.85]Nissin Foods Holdings. [00:20.36]The company produced an animated advertisement [00:24.56] that showed Osaka with skin [00:27.16]that looked lighter than her real skin color. [00:31.60]Critics said the ad does not represent Osaka's darker skin, [00:37.43]as well as her biracial background. [00:41.02]Osaka was born in Japan to a Japanese mother [00:45.97]and a Haitian-American father. [00:48.69]Nissin has since removed the advertisement from YouTube. [00:54.68]"I've talked to them. They've apologized," Osaka said. [01:00.02]"I'm tan. It's pretty obvious." [01:03.92]Osaka said she did not think the company's aim [01:08.38]was to "whitewash" her. [01:10.63]But she added, "I definitely think [01:14.44]that the next time they try to portray me or something, [01:17.53]I feel like they should talk to me about it." [01:20.68]Osaka spoke to reporters in Melbourne, [01:24.59]where she is getting ready to play [01:26.91]in Saturday's Australian Open final. [01:30.65]Osaka told the media, "I'm just focused on this right now. [01:37.03]I've gotten to the final of a slam, and that's sort of my main priority." [01:43.14]Osaka will face Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in the final. [01:49.41]A victory for Osaka would give her the number-one ranking in the world. [01:55.86]It is not the first time that a Japanese company [01:59.90]has face criticism for how it deals with issues such as race and nationality. [02:07.70]Baye McNeil is an American who has lived in Japan for more than 10 years. [02:14.42]He wrote an opinion article for The Japan Times, [02:18.99]a local English-language paper. [02:21.22] McNeil wrote, "I found a whitewashed representation of Osaka [02:27.23]that could've easily been based off a TV personality like Becky or Rola." [02:33.48]McNeil told the Associated Press that Japanese companies [02:39.35]need to become more inclusive if they hope to appeal to a worldwide market. [02:45.41]"They are not thinking on that level," McNeil said. [02:50.19]"It may be painful, but Japan is going through growing pains right now." [02:55.11]Daisuke Okabayashi is a spokesman for Nissin Foods Holdings. [03:01.75]He said Thursday the company did not mean to disrespect Osaka's diversity. [03:09.48]The ad also showed Kei Nishikori, another Japanese tennis star, with lighter skin. [03:17.66]Okabayashi said Osaka's representative approved the ad [03:23.02]but later asked to have the ad taken down. [03:27.60]He said the company continues to support Osaka [03:31.40]and does not want the issue to become a distraction. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM