The management company for Japanese singer Maki Otsuki, known for performing the theme song of the popular anime series One Piece, announced on 30/11 that her concert in Shanghai, China, two days prior, was halted mid-performance due to "unforeseeable circumstances".
Otsuki was scheduled to perform on 28-29/11 at the Bandai Namco Festival 2025 in Shanghai. The festival was planned to run until 30/11, but organizers announced the entire event's cancellation after "comprehensively considering various factors".
Japanese female idol group Momoiro Clover Z also canceled their performance at the event on 29/11. Concerts in China by several other Japanese artists, including singer Ayumi Hamasaki and pianist Hiromi Uehara, have also been canceled.
These are the latest events affected by the diplomatic tensions between China and Japan.
The two nations are experiencing their most severe diplomatic strains in years, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that in a scenario involving an attack on Taiwan, Tokyo could deploy self-defense forces if the conflict poses an existential threat to Japan. Taiwan is located 100 km from Japan's nearest island.
China responded by demanding Ms. Takaichi retract her statement, banning seafood imports, halting the release of Japanese films, and warning its citizens against traveling to Japan.
China consistently views Taiwan as an inalienable part of its territory and is prepared to use all measures to achieve unification. Chinese leaders have repeatedly affirmed that they do not rule out the use of force to reclaim the island, though the general policy remains dialogue and peaceful unification.
Japanese leaders have historically avoided publicly mentioning Taiwan when discussing regional military scenarios. This has been considered Japan's policy of "strategic ambiguity", a stance also supported by its ally, the United States.
Hong Hanh (According to AFP)
