The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported on December 25 that according to the Gunma TV broadcaster, the broadcaster did not air the 11th episode of the Gunma-chan anime on December 12 because the episode contained a depiction of boat racing, which is an avenue for legalized gambling in Japan.
The anime is based on Gunma Prefecture’s mascot character, and it premiered on Tokyo MX, TV Kanagawa, TV Saitama, Chiba TV, Gunma TV, Tochigi TV, Sun TV, and KBS Kyoto on October 3.
The current pony mascot debuted as the “Yūma-chan” mascot for a sports competition in 1994, and became the prefecture’s Gunma-chan mascot in 2008.
The Governor of Gunma Prefecture Ichita Yamamoto addressed the controversy regarding the episode in a press conference on December 28, stating about executives at Gunma TV, “They’ve probably never seen any anime, not even One Piece or Demon Slayer.