Japan will send intellectual property officials to the United States to discuss Kim Kardashian´s release of the name Kimono on a new line of underwear, the Commerce Minister said.
Kardashian, a businesswoman and reality TV actress, said on Monday she would change the name of the new body-building product line after Japanese expected, saying the label showed disrespect for their traditional dress.
Trade Minister Hiroshige Siku told Japanese media that he was aware of Kardashian´s decision but wanted a "careful study" of the matter.
He said he would send IP specialists to the US Patent and Trademark Office on July 9 for an "optimal exchange of views" and would follow closely.
"Kimono is a world-wide mark of our culture, and even in America it is known that kimono is Japanese," he said.
Kardashian said it had announced its Kimono products in June "in good faith" and that it approved the comments it had received.
"Inclusion and diversity are a key pillar of my brands and products," she wrote on Twitter.
Kimono in Japanese means "things that wear," referring to long dresses with canvas belts used for formal occasions such as weddings and funerals.
The words "Kimono is not underwear!" Stop the brand registration! Do not make Kimono your king! "
Others called the term "stealing a traditional culture" and urged Kardashian to change the name, saying the product would be popular even if the name changed.
