Japanese officials have thrown their support behind Avril Lavigne after she was accused of promoting racial stereotypes in her new music video.

The Sk8er Boi hitmaker released the promo for Hello Kitty on Wednesday (23Apr14) and Lavigne received a negative backlash over her depiction of Japanese culture in the music video, which features expressionless Asian girls posing as her backing dancers.

Lavigne defended her work on Twitter.com, insisting the promo is not "racist" and she simply wanted to express her love for the country, and now officials at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. have given their support to the singer.

A spokesman tells TMZ.com that Lavigne had "only good intentions when making the video," adding that they hope the "discussions surrounding her song and music video results in more people discovering the beautiful and rich culture of Japan."