Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) has said that it will amend an advertisement that caused controversy this week after several viewers complained of racism and stereotyping.

The new TV commercial, incidentally called "The Japanese are changing," will be amended before it goes on air again.  The ad features two Japanese men talking in English about the start of new ANA flights from Tokyo's Haneda airport.  One actor is wearing blond wig and large nose to portray a Caucasian.  The airline said that the ad was not intended to offend anyone but to encourage Japanese people to travel abroad.

ANA Holdings Inc, Japan's biggest airline, stopped airing the spot on national television yesterday and has said that it will review several "opinions" before launching a revised advertisement.  Etsuya Uchiyama, a spokesman at the Tokyo-based company said that the advertisement was pulled off air after the company received several comments.

The company said in a statement that, "The commercial was intended to be a humorous way of highlighting the increased number of international services ANA is operating from Haneda Airport.  It was not our intention to cause offense and we apologize to anyone who was upset by the advertisement."