Due to the influence of Prime Minister Sanae Koichi’s comments regarding the Taiwan emergency, Japanese artists have been forced to cancel or postpone their performances in China one after another. Why have Japanese artists been forced to abandon their performances in China? [Image] Amid a string of cancellations of performances by Japanese artists in China, Prime Minister Takaichi mentions Japanese artists ■ Sudden cancellation of Maki Otsuki during her performance Folk duo Yuzu announced the cancellation of their Asian tour “YUZU ASIA TOUR 2025 GET BACK” on November 22, 2012. The tour was canceled for the Hong Kong concert on December 6, the Shanghai concert on December 6, and the Taipei concert on December 8. This was Yuzu’s first tour in Asia in six years, but the group had to make a regrettable decision. On November 17, the 11-member group JO1 also announced the cancellation of a fan event scheduled to be held in Guangzhou on November 28. The cancellation was announced on Weibo, the largest social media site in the Chinese-speaking world, and the group apologized to “JAM (JO1’s fan name), who have been expecting and preparing for this event for a long time. Furthermore, at the “Bandai Namco Festival 2025,” which opened on November 28 in Shanghai, the performance of singer Maki Otsuki, known for the theme song of the anime “ONE PIECE,” was suddenly canceled. During Otsuki’s singing, the music suddenly stopped and the lights on stage went dark. As the lights brightened, two staff members appeared on stage, ran up to the upset Ms. Otsuki, explained something to her, and then walked off to the sleeves with her. As the audience murmured, an announcement was made in Chinese, announcing that the show was canceled. Later, the official X of Bandai Namco, the festival’s organizer, announced the cancellation of the stage scheduled for the 29th and 30th, saying, “Due to various reasons, we have to cancel the performances. Popular artists such as Momoiro Clover Z, Regal Lily, and ASH DA HERO were scheduled to perform, but they did not take the stage.
Toru Hashimoto: “The private sector should not suffer losses.”
Some artists expressed their pain over the cancellation of their China tour: “MAGMAZ,” an idol group that is extremely popular in China and has performed in China eight times in one year, performed in Shanghai on November 23, but canceled their Guangzhou concert scheduled for December. MAGMAZ member Haruka Kilsarge made a VTR appearance on the December 3 broadcast of “THE TIME,” a TBS program. In response to the program’s interview, he commented, “There are so many people who love the China tour, so I can’t really say how frustrating it is. I can’t really do anything about it. In response to the situation that forced many Japanese artists to cancel their performances in China, Toru Hashimoto, a lawyer, commented on November 30 on his website, “Doing business in China is risky. You have to do business knowing that, but the private sector should not suffer losses due to politicians’ polo rhetoric without strategy,” he criticized. Perhaps sensing a sense of crisis in the face of criticism directed at him and others, including Hashimoto, Prime Minister Takaichi wrote in his X on April 4, “The government will strengthen support for overseas expansion so that talented Japanese artists can realize live performances and exchanges in more countries. We will create a future where Japanese music resonates in diverse markets such as Asia, Europe, and North America,” he posted. This was met with support from the audience, “It is encouraging that the government is strengthening its support so that talented Japanese artists and creators can work in diverse markets around the world,” and “Japanese culture is finally going global in earnest! On the other hand, there were also comments such as, “First of all, please apologize to the Chinese government and the artists who have suffered disadvantages from this incident. Some were harsh, saying, “Maybe he doesn’t realize that he is the person who has caused the most direct damage to artists in the history of Japanese prime ministers.