The sudden cancellation of several Japanese concerts in Shanghai – one of them in the middle of a song – has sparked criticism among fans, with some calling the move “rude” and “extreme”.
Maki Otsuki was in the middle of the theme from the hit anime One Piece on Friday when the lights and music went out, prompting two crew members to escort her off the stage.
On Saturday, pop star Ayumi Hamasaki performed to an empty 14,000-seat stadium after organizers canceled her concert in Shanghai citing “force majeure.”
The cancellation comes as diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Tokyo escalated over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan.
Takachi, known to be a vocal critic of China and its activities in the region, suggested last month that Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacks Taiwan.
Beijing views self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to “reunify” it.
Since then both sides have lodged protests against each other and the rift has also affected daily life in both countries.
Otsuki’s management blamed “unavoidable circumstances” for the interruption of their performance on Friday.
“Apart from the demonstration being cancelled, there were no particular problems, and local staff were very kind and helpful,” it wrote in a separate statement on Monday, in which it declined to be interviewed on the matter.
According to Japan’s Kyodo News, their performance was part of a three-day music festival in Shanghai, for which subsequent events were also canceled after “considering various factors comprehensively”.
The BBC has contacted Japanese entertainment company Bandai Namco, one of the organizers of the festival.
Some of Otsuki’s fans have created a meme comparing his closing performance with the shocking ouster of former Chinese leader Hu Jintao during a Communist Party meeting in October 2022. The meme went viral on social media over the weekend, with some saying Ms Otsuki was given the “Hu Jintao treatment”.
On social media, some accused Chinese officials of taking away their own people’s freedom to enjoy culture in efforts to impose sanctions on Japan. “What does it mean to turn your back on your own citizens?” Read an X post written in Japanese.
“Don’t you care about the audience – they are Chinese after all, right?” A user wrote on China’s X-like platform Weibo.
United States Ambassador to Japan George Glass joined the online conversation. “It’s really regrettable that there are people who can’t realize the power of music,” he wrote in an X post that also included a link to Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’.
“Maki-san, don’t stop believin’—hold on to your beliefs!” He has written.
However the event also fueled nationalist sentiments on Chinese social media, with some asking why the event was allowed in the first place given the diplomatic controversy.
“How could this program go on at a time when the entire country is angry with Japan?” A Weibo user wrote.
Hamasaki, who was in Shanghai as part of her Asia tour, said she was suddenly asked to cancel her concert on Friday.
The pop icon wrote on Instagram that she performed to 14,000 empty seats, praising “the company people, the Chinese employees, and the big Japanese family who struggled with this tour.”
She wrote, “I still strongly believe that entertainment should be a bridge that connects people, and I want to be involved in building that bridge.”
It is not clear where the instructions are
Two weeks ago, Chinese state media announced that the release of at least two popular Japanese anime films would be postponed amid a diplomatic dispute.
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