China Halts Japanese Concerts and Cultural Events Over Taiwan

China abruptly cancels several Japanese music events in the country, some of them mid-performance, placing K-pop in a difficult position.

K-pop is caught between a rock and a hard place as geopolitical tensions mount between China and Japan. Korean entertainment companies remain hopeful that their artists will stay insulated from the fallout, but the situation is rapidly developing.

The matter spilled over into a possible cultural freeze-out at the Bandai Namco Festival in Shanghai over the weekend, when Japanese singer Maki Otsuki, the talent behind the theme song for the hit anime “One Piece,” was abruptly pulled off stage mid-performance. Japanese girl group Momoiro Clover Z, which was scheduled to perform on Saturday—before the entire event was cancelled by the local organizer.

“It’s truly regrettable that there are people who can’t feel the power of music,” wrote George Glass, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, in a post on social media addressing the Otsuki performance.

Other artists, including pop star Ayumi Hamasaki and jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara, have seen performances cancelled in China in recent days.

K-pop girl group Aespa announced that they would appear in one of Japan’s most-watched year-end music shows, NHK’s Red and White Singing Contest. But over 70,000 people have signed a petition demanding the group be removed from the lineup, citing potential “damage” to Japan’s cultural image. Notably, one of the group’s members is Chinese, and in the past shared images on social media that many considered culturally insensitive.

The whole issue stems from diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan. Takaichi, known to be a vocal critic of China, suggested in response to a question in parliament last month that Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan. Beijing considers the self-governed Taiwan to be part of its territory, and “has not ruled out the use of force” to “reunite” with it.

Since then, both sides have enacted protests against the other—and the rift has reportedly started affecting day-to-day life in both countries. Two weeks ago, Chinese state media also announced that the release of at least two upcoming Japanese anime films would be postponed in the region amid the mounting tensions.