Background
Harmful and Offensive Advertising: Jap Car South Ltd t/a Jap Car South breaks the UK advertising rules for including a racial slur “Jap” on the https://www.japcarsouth.co.uk website.
The ASA investigated a complaint that challenged whether the ad was harmful and offensive on the basis that “Jap” was understood to be a racial slur. The CAP Code requires marketers to ensure that ads do not contain anything that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence, with particular care to be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of various characteristics, including race.
In the investigation Jap Car South Ltd offered its apologies to any members of the public who had been offended by the use of the word “Jap” in its business name. They said the company had traded since 2020, dealing directly with the Japanese market when purchasing vehicles. They said they had not previously received any feedback, in Japan or the UK, that its company name was offensive, or could cause offence.
The ASA considered Jap Car South Ltd’s comments, but it assessed the likely effect of the ad on consumers, rather than the advertiser’s intention. The ASA understood that the word “Jap” became particularly associated with anti-Japanese sentiment during and after the Second World War. It further understood that it had a history of use as a derogatory term for Japanese people and people of Japanese heritage, and was widely recognised as a racial slur. Because of those associations, it considered that its use in a marketing communication was likely to cause serious offence on the grounds of race.
In addition, the website logo features the text “Jap Car South” superimposed over an image of a stylised sun, similar in style to the Japanese “Rising Sun” flag. We considered that, when used alongside the term “Jap”, the image’s clear association with Japan reinforced the derogatory reference to Japanese identity and added to the offensive impact of the ad. The ASA also understood that while the image was legitimately used in various facets of public life in Japan, some consumers were likely to associate it with the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Army, and Japanese military aggression during the Second World War. In the context of its use alongside the term “Jap”, we considered that association was likely to further exacerbate the offence caused by the wording.
The CAP Compliance team contacted Jap Car South Ltd, but in the absence of an assurance to amend its website to comply with the ruling, took the decision on 25 September 2026 to place its company details on this section of the ASA website. These details shall remain in place until such time as Jap Car South Ltd has appropriately amended its advertising on the www.japcarsouth.co.uk website to comply with the CAP Code.
