A photo of Naomi Osaka. Photo: Weibo

 Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka showed her firm anti-racism stance on Sunday by sending several posts on Twitter criticizing those who blame COVID-19 on the Asian community. 

Osaka said the racism toward the Asian community worries her as it shows a lack of social concern. 

“The fact that this topic is not very widely covered makes me concerned. I only found videos and information because I was scrolling through my IG feed and by some algorithm it appeared,” said Osaka on Twitter. 

She said that phrases such as “Ching Chong” and “shrimp fried rice” that are often used to mock Asian people are not friendly banter, and that people who make such jokes are “pathetic.” 

“She is truly brave. I’m sure this isn’t the first time I’ve heard her take such an anti-racism stance. I’ll be on her side as always,” said a netizen on Sina Weibo. 

“I like her frankness and I think she has done a great job to touch on a topic that people tend to ignore,” said another. 

The tennis star’s words were backed up by netizens on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo. Some pointed out that a growing number of celebrities in the entertainment and sports industries are taking a stance against racism toward the Asian community. 

“This reminds me of the two Daniels giving money as a reward,” said a netizen on Weibo, referring to actors Daniel Wu and Daniel Dae Kim who contributed a total of US$25,000 as a reward for information about an incident in which a 91-year-old Asian-looking man was pushed over by a masked man in Oakland’s Chinatown district. 

“Popular celebrities such as Daniel Wu are closer to the public. If they can deliver such a positive message, it might stop such discrimination,” said another. 

Osaka’s father is Haitian and her mother is Japanese. She has been active in fighting for racial equality and rejecting social discrimination.