Tony Marano

Tony Marano, or "Texas Daddy" is a retired salesperson, American YouTuber, and a comfort women denier.
Early Life & Career
Born in the State of Connecticut, Marano moved to the Brooklyn, New York City when he was a few months old and lived there for 30 years. He graduated from City University of New York, where he majored in history. After graduation, he worked for 30 years as a sales person at New York Telephone (a subsidiary of AT&T, now Verizon New York). After retiring in 2006, he moved to Dallas, Texas, where he has lived for the past 36 years. He began his commentary activities, primarily on video-sharing platforms. His handle is "Propaganda Buster."
Activities and Influence
Since around 2006, Marano has been sharing his opinions on YouTube under the name "Propaganda Buster." Before discovering YouTube, he wrote letters to newspapers but was often frustrated when topics he considered significant were not published, leading him to question the criteria for news selection. Initially, his videos were focused on American politics. However, in 2008, he posted a video defending Japan against the anti-whaling claims of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which gained attention when volunteers added subtitles and shared it on Niconico, a Japanese video-sharing platform. On April 27, 2010, he published a collection of speeches.
Marano gained significant attention in Japan approximately seven years ago when he publicly criticized Sea Shepherd, a U.S.-based marine conservation group known for its opposition to whaling in Japan. His criticism centered not on the issue of whaling itself but on the aggressive tactics employed by Sea Shepherd.
On September 15, 2010, Marano was recruited by Japanese businessman Shunichi Fujiki (a.k.a. “Shun Ferguson”) for a collaboration project with the Yukan Fuji newspaper titled "Ask Texas Daddy!" even though he does not speak Japanese. Marano became known among his Japanese followers, and developed a substantial following in Japan. Japanese internet users nicknamed him "Texas Daddy," a name he himself appreciates and sometimes uses in his videos. Marano has published over 80 videos, many of which are equipped with Japanese subtitles. His videos have accumulated significant viewership, with some reaching over 300,000 views.
Views
In interviews, Marano describes himself as an "opinionated Italian" and downplays his influence in Japan, noting that he is simply a "little guy" in Texas. Despite the backlash, Marano contends that his intention is to express his opinions and foster dialogue rather than to incite anger or controversy. His stated mission involves bolstering military alliances among the United States, South Korea, and Japan, while also providing a platform for discussing broader geopolitical issues.<ref nameRWD/><ref nameTDM/>
Although Marano is American, he frequently defends Japan in his commentary. He has strongly criticized organizations such as Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace. He is critical of socialist, communist, and leftist-liberal ideologies, including the Chinese Communist Party, and is openly supportive of Israel.
Marano has expressed understanding of Japan's whaling practices and criticized anti-whaling activities. He believes Japan is targeted for criticism due to the politeness and reserved nature of its people. He claims that opposition to whaling and dolphin hunting is a minority view even among Westerners. During his first visit to Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, in May 2011, he apologized to the town's mayor for the disruption caused by Western activists interfering with the local fishing practices. Regarding U.S. criticism of Toyota, Marano compared recall statistics with American automakers and argued that the criticism was unfounded.
Marano has become a polarizing figure, particularly due to his controversial views on sensitive topics, including "comfort women." In July 2013, Marano obtained a document titled
Japanese Prisoner of War Interrogation Report No. 49 of the 1994 U.S. Army report from the U.S. National Archives. He claimed the document proves that "comfort women," often referred to as "sex slaves," were not forcibly taken by the Japanese military but were legally employed prostitutes earning higher wages than Japanese soldiers. He further argued that South Korea's claims of military coercion were fabricated, a claim that has drawn criticism from progressive groups and activists.<ref name="RWD"/> Marano published the document on his website. The document had been declassified in 1973 and was also used as a reference in the Japanese government's 1992-1993 investigation, with the Asia Women's Fund making it publicly available.
In 2024, Marano released a video criticizing President Joe Biden’s policies as a "nightmare" and expressed support for Donald Trump’s return to the presidency. He also condemned the release of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson on bail.
Personal Life
Despite being an American, his Yukan Fuji articles often begin with "Hi, everyone!" in Japanese. His activities are strongly supported by the Japanese agent "Texas Daddy Japan Office."
On April 1, 2010, TV Asahi's Wide! Scramble introduced Marano as a man defending Japan. Marano later denied claims made by the program that he had previously made anti-Japanese remarks.
His hobbies include tinkering with and collecting cameras, as well as photography. He uses Japanese-made products such as Canon and Nikon cameras and Toshiba laptops.
Marano is left-handed.
He collaborates with manga artist Toshiko Hasumi on various activities, both in Japan and internationally.
Marano has visited Yasukuni Shrine during his trips to Japan, including on May 16, 2011, and May 3, 2014.
He appeared in the 2019 documentary Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue.
Publications
Columns
* Weekly Asahi Geino (Tokuma Shoten) - Published every Tuesday
* Yukan Fuji (Sankei Shimbun) - Published every Thursday
Books
Solo works
* Tony Marano, Texas Daddy Speech Collection DVD & Book, Asuka Shinsha, April 27, 2010. ISBN 978-4-86410-015-1. (Includes DVD)
* Tony Marano, Get Angry! Trapped Japanese People, Supervising Editor: Kohei Nishimura, Seirindo, April 25, 2014. ISBN 978-4-7926-0492-9.
* Tony Marano, Texas Daddy's Righteous Arguments: Even a Regular American Like Me Can Refute the Nonsense from Korea and China!, Translator/Supervisor: Toshikazu Fujiki, Tokuma Shoten, June 27, 2014. ISBN 978-4-19-863813-9.
* Tony Marano, Texas Daddy Scolds Korea and China! Japanese People, Learn the "Truth" and Laugh Off Ridiculous Criticism, Translator: Kazuki Ohno, PHP Institute, July 18, 2014. ISBN 978-4-569-82028-6.
* Tony Marano, Texas Daddy's Passionate Lectures: Japan is the Best in the World! Fusosha, September 2, 2014. ISBN 978-4-594-07111-0.
Collaborations
* Featured in the Japanism series by Seirindo, including volumes 1, 2, 15, 18, 19, 20, and 21 (2011-2014).

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