Japanese monkey ad under fire

TOKYO, July 3 (UPI) -- Some African-Americans residing in Japan said they were offended by an ad for a telecommunications company that featured a monkey running for U.S. president.

The TV commercial featured a suit-wearing monkey behind a podium holding a sign with the word "Change" on it, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.

The ad was supposed to be a parody of the U.S. presidential election, the newspaper said.

Some African-Americans said they felt the ad was offensive and contained racist undertones aimed at presumptive U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Some people have said the ad is being blown out of proportion because its producers were unaware of its potentially racist interpretation, the report said.

The newspaper said confusion over the ad may also stem from Americans' inability to understand the popularity of monkeys as cartoon and television characters in Japan.