Cosmetics maker Mandom Corp. announced Tuesday it has stopped airing a TV commercial that compares black people and monkeys.
In the commercial for men's blotting paper, several black people wipe sweat off their faces with the paper, while a chimpanzee beside them in an Afro wig and a multicolored outfit wipes his face in imitation.
A human rights group criticized it after it began airing March 28, saying it was comparing black people with monkeys.
After consulting with lawyers and advertising agency officials, the company stopped showing the commercial June 9 and has also stopped using a magazine advertisement, saying the campaign "lacked an international sense of ethics."
"We are very sorry. We apologize to viewers and other people who felt offended," said Motonobu Nishimura, a company executive.