A WICKED campervan in Cairns bearing the slogan "Save a Whale - Harpoon a Jap" may breach racial vilification and advertising laws, but the company has no plans to take it off the road.

The van, spotted driving around Cairns, has drawn complaints from the public and sparked concern from the advertising and discrimination watchdogs, as well as the city’s Australia Japan Society.

Advertising Standards Bureau chief executive officer Alison Abernethy said the slogan would breach the national Advertising Code of Ethics, which prohibits discrimination on racial grounds.

"We would look at it from the perspective that it’s vilifying Japanese people," she told The Cairns Post.

She called for the public to snap pictures of the van and contact the ASB.

"We will contact them, get the picture, raise a complaint and the board will make a ruling," she said.

Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth said the slogan could potentially breach racial vilification laws.

"Those sorts of comments do concern me," she said.

"The laws prohibit serious contempt on the basis of someone’s race and I’m concerned phrases like that may have the potential to breach those laws."

Australia Japan Society president Colyn Huber said the message was "absurd" and offensive.

"We’ve got to recognise they don’t all want to hunt whales," Mr Huber said. "What kind of idiotic racist approach is this?"

The company’s brightly painted vans sporting quirky slogans have raised eyebrows before, but remain a favourite with backpackers and other tourists.

Wicked general manager Dave Kinkead confirmed the company was responsible for the van and had received two complaints about the message.

But he denied the catchphrase was racist and said there were no plans to retire the van or change the slogan.

"I don’t think it’s racist in any way," he said.

He said the message was satirical.

"The point of this is to create debate about a subject," he said.

"If I had a Japanese friend, I would have no problem joking with him about it. I don’t see it as an issue of race."

When asked why the company had singled out Japan for mention, he said: "I guess the only other ones we could do are Iceland, or – ‘Harpoon a Viking’ or something like that."

Have you seen the van? Snap a picture and email it to us at editorial@tcp.newsltd.com.au

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