TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s wildly popular Pokémon franchise distanced itself on Friday from a recent viral United States (US) government video that linked the brand’s “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” slogan to Washington’s immigration crackdown.

The US Department of Homeland Security posted a clip on social media platform X this week that showed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid.

The clip showed armed police and border patrol officers handcuffing what it portrayed as illegal immigrants, with Pokémon’s famous English-language theme playing in the background.

Throughout the clip, images showed the main character Satoshi, known as Ash in North America, throwing “Poke Balls” — a tool used in the Pokémon series to catch and store wild monsters.

Nintendo’s Pokémon franchise denied any involvement in the making or posting of the video.

“We have never approved the use of intellectual property that we control,” the firm’s public relations office said in a statement sent to AFP.

US President Donald Trump’s administration launched “Operation Midway Blitz” this month, a new immigration enforcement operation in Chicago it said would target the “worst of the worst criminals”.

Pokémon became a global hit after its 1996 launch as a role-playing game for Nintendo’s handheld Game Boy console.

Inspired by the Japanese summer childhood tradition of bug-collecting, players catch and train “pocket monsters” inspired by everything from mice to dragons.

The franchise also includes movies, an animated TV show, and the “Pokémon Go” augmented-reality mobile game.