• From 1978: Unbelievable Japanese "Star Wars" TV spot for "sea chicken"

    Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

    Dr. Serkan Toto is an independent consultant and advisor focusing on Japan’s web, mobile and social gaming industries. Based in Tokyo, he works together with financial institutions and startups worldwide. Serkan has been the Japan contributor for TechCrunch.com since 2008. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. → Learn More

    Star Wars has always been popular in Japan, so seeing Luke Skywalker et al. in a Japanese TV commercial from the 1970s isn’t a big deal in itself. But seeing the Star Wars franchise being used for promoting “sea chicken” (canned tuna) is kind of unusual.

    Needless to say, the gaijin acting in the TV spot, which was first aired on Japanese TV in 1978, are just look-alikes. And apparently, “sea chicken” maker Hagoromo Foods has used the Star Wars setting without getting a license from Lucasarts. Different times back then, I guess.

    Here’s the TV spot:

    Via CNN Go Asia

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