The Kyoto Municipal Government building is seen in Kyoto's Nakagyo Ward in this Feb. 25, 2019 file photo. (Mainichi/Yusuke Kaite)

A newspaper advertisement run by a support group for the mayor of Japan's ancient capital Kyoto ahead of the upcoming mayoral race has caused a stir for explicitly attacking the Japanese Communist Party (JCP).

The ad has also come under fire for using photos of celebrities without their permission, and that make them appear to be supporting the negative campaign against the JCP.

"No JCP mayor for our beloved Kyoto," reads the ad in the Jan. 26 morning edition of the Kyoto Shimbun, which was placed by a political group supporting Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa, called "Mirai no Kyoto o tsukuru kai." The ad also states, "We must not allow our Kyoto to fall into the JCP's dogmatic municipal administration." There is an advert for Kadokawa's candidacy at the bottom right.

"It's a malicious attack against the JCP," one comment posted online said, among other criticisms buzzing around cyberspace.

Kadokawa, 69, is currently in his third term and is running in the Feb. 2 mayoral race against two first-timers, lawyer Kazuhito Fukuyama, 58, and former Kyoto Municipal Assembly member Shoei Murayama, 41. All three candidates are running as independents, with Fukuyama backed by the JCP and Reiwa Shinsengumi. Kadokawa is backed by Komeito and the prefectural chapters of the Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People and the Social Democratic Party.

When queried about the anti-JCP expressions in the ad, Kadokawa's campaign team said, "We didn't make any personal attacks. We've confirmed with the election management commission that there was nothing wrong with the ad."

Some of the nine celebrities whose names and headshots appeared in the lower part of the advert have reacted sharply.

One, Japanese-style painter Hiroshi Senju, commented on his website on Jan. 27, "It's extremely regrettable that (my photo) was carried in that advocacy ad without my permission, as if I'm giving the nod to these kinds of activities."

While acknowledging that his name was listed as endorsing Kadokawa, Senju stated, "As an artist, I cherish diversity of opinions and the need for discussion. I'm against a negative campaign that tries to exclude a specific political party."

Kundo Koyama, a broadcast writer whose name and headshot were also used in the ad, released a comment through his secretary: "I feel sorry for (my photo) having been printed without my permission, causing a sense of distrust among those who have supported me."

When questioned about the celebrated figures' photos, Kadokawa's campaign team said, "We have obtained approval for the use of their names and photos as they have endorsed Kadokawa (as a candidate). It was not our intention to cause them any trouble."

Yoshio Tateishi, chairman of the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who heads Kadokawa's support group, stated, "We're sorry for not having obtained their approval." Tateishi was among the nine individuals whose names and pictures appeared in the ad.

Similar JCP-bashing ads were also published in the Asahi Shimbun and the Yomiuri Shimbun national dailies, but they did not include the photos of well-known figures.

(Japanese original by Kenichi Omura, Integrated Digital News Center, and Yasuhiro Okawa and Kenji Yagura, Kyoto Bureau)