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Hello Kitty maker cuts ties with Japanese spy drama after China backlash
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- Sanrio has apologized and ended its merchandise partnership with the Japanese TV show Vivant after backlash in China over the show's depiction of Chinese agents torturing a Japanese operative.
- The controversy extended to Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters featured in merchandise dressed as characters from Vivant, prompting Sanrio to state the collaboration conflicted with its core values of care and harmony.
- China-Japan relations have deteriorated significantly following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan, leading to increased diplomatic tensions and economic pressures from Beijing on Tokyo.
- Chinese state media and social platforms criticized Sanrio for associating with what they called "anti-China content," warning that the brand risks losing long-standing consumer trust in China.
- Vivant's second season, which portrays brutal torture by Chinese agents, has been condemned by Chinese state outlets as distorting historical truth and echoing wartime atrocities by Japanese troops.
