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