Chinese motorcycle manufacturer QJ Motor has called for the Gresini team it sponsors in the Moto2 class to immediately sack Motegi race winner Manuel Gonzalez after he wore a traditional Japanese hachimaki headband.
Gonzalez, who took his maiden win in the intermediate class at the Japanese Grand Prix venue, wore the headband on the grid before the start of last weekend's race.
The hachimaki, a traditional Japanese item of clothing dating back to the samurai era, was extensively adopted by the Japanese military during World War Two, most notably by kamikaze pilots while flying suicide missions.
Japan's invasion of China, which pre-dated the start of the war in Europe by two years, is recognised by historians as one of the global conflict's most brutal theatres of war, and resulted in the death of around 20 million Chinese citizens.
As a result, the hachimaki, while widely associated with martial arts in the West and still worn by many Japanese athletes, has a very different context in China.
QJ Motor described images of Gonzalez wearing the hachimaki, which appeared on social media platforms, as "a very discordant scene".
It acknowledged its belief that Gonzalez meant no harm, but still called for his Gresini Racing team to drop him with four rounds of the 2024 championship remaining.
"Gonzalez, a racer of the cooperative team Gresini, was invited by the organiser before the start of the race and privately wore the host country's "Bojumaki" decoration and spread it on social platforms," a statement from QJ Motor read.
"Although it was an unintentional act because he was a European player and did not understand Chinese history, this behaviour has hurt the national feelings of Chinese riders and the Chinese people.
"After the incident, Qianjiang Motorcycle immediately conducted solemn negotiations with its partner Gresini team, demanding that the relevant pictures and video content be removed immediately, and that the team immediately terminate its cooperation with the rider."
Gonzalez's victory elevated him to sixth in the Moto2 standings.
The Race has contacted Gresini Racing for comment.
