Japan’s 7-Eleven has deleted a social media post featuring international store uniforms after it labeled taiwan as “China (Taiwan),” sparking criticism from Taiwanese and Japanese netizens.
The post, published on July 11th, showcased uniforms from 7-Eleven employees worldwide and asked followers to comment on their favorites. Among the countries listed were Japan,the United States,Australia,Sweden,Denmark,Taiwan,Malaysia,Guangdong,the Philippines,Singapore,South Korea,Cambodia,India,and vietnam.
The controversy arose from the way Taiwan was labeled. While othre locations, such as Hong Kong, were marked as “China (Hong Kong),” Taiwan was specifically designated as “China (Taiwan).” This distinction, particularly when compared to the simple labeling of Hawaii as “Hawaii” without an “America (Hawaii)” designation, was perceived as intentional by many.
Taiwanese netizens expressed anger, threatening boycotts and questioning the decision to label Taiwan in this manner. Japanese netizens also voiced their disapproval, with some stating that the action was disrespectful to Taiwan and that 7-Eleven had mishandled its relationship with the Taiwanese public.
Following the backlash, Japan’s 7-Eleven issued an apology late on July 12th. The company acknowledged receiving numerous comments regarding the labeling of certain countries and regions in the “7-11 Uniforms of the World” post. The statement admitted that the post lacked comprehensive consideration and expressed sincere apologies to all those who were unhappy about it. The company stated that it had deleted the post and would reflect on the lesson learned, promising to be more cautious in its future content publications.