Japanese “One Piece” singer Maki Otsuki was forced to halt her performance on stage in Shanghai, her management said, one of the latest incidents affected by the diplomatic dispute between Tokyo and Beijing.
Otsuki, known for the theme songs of popular anime, was to perform at the Bandai Namco Festival 2025 in the Chinese city for two days from Friday.
However, she had to abruptly stop her performance on Friday due to unavoidable circumstances even though she was in the middle of performing, her management posted on her official website on Saturday.
It was the latest in a string of cancellations of cultural events involving Asia’s two biggest economies to be hit.
Relations between Beijing and Tokyo have soured after comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takachi this month suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan.
China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to annex the democratic island, reacted furiously to Takachi’s remarks, summoning Tokyo’s ambassador and advising Chinese citizens against traveling to Japan.
Bandai Namco Festival 2025 was scheduled to run through Sunday, but organizers announced on Chinese social media platform WeChat that the entire event would be canceled after “comprehensively considering various factors,” Kyodo News reported.
It said popular Japanese girl idol group Momoiro Clover Z, who were scheduled to perform at the same event on Saturday, were also affected.
Other artists and shows that have been forced to stop performing in China include pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki and jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara, Kyodo said.
“I still strongly believe that entertainment should be a bridge that connects us, and I should be the creator of that bridge,” Hamasaki posted on her Instagram after announcing the cancellation of her Shanghai tour on Friday, just a day before her scheduled performance.
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