Japanese Singer Halts Performance as China-Japan tensions Rise
TOKYO: A diplomatic dispute between Tokyo and Beijing has led too the cancellation and disruption of cultural events, including an incident where Japanese singer Maki Otsuki was forced to stop performing mid-concert in Shanghai.
Otsuki, famed for singing the theme song to the popular anime One Piece, was scheduled to perform for two days starting Friday (Nov 28) at the Bandai Namco Festival 2025.However, her management announced on Saturday that she “had to abruptly halt her performance due to unavoidable circumstances” while on stage.
This incident is part of a growing trend of cancellations affecting cultural exchanges between Asia’s two largest economies. The tensions stem from recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who indicated potential japanese military intervention in the event of an attack on Taiwan.
China, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province and reserves the right to use force for reunification, strongly condemned Takaichi’s statement. Beijing summoned the Japanese ambassador and issued a travel advisory discouraging chinese citizens from visiting Japan.
Organizers of the Bandai Namco Festival 2025 afterward announced the complete cancellation of the event, citing “various factors” in a post on the WeChat platform, according to Kyodo News.The popular Japanese girl group Momoiro Clover Z, also slated to perform, were impacted by the decision.
Other Japanese artists, including pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki and jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara, have also been compelled to cancel performances in China. Hamasaki expressed her disappointment on Instagram, stating, “I still strongly believe that entertainment shoudl be a bridge that connects us, and that I should be the creator of that bridge,” following the cancellation of her Shanghai tour just a day before its scheduled start.
