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China cancels concerts by Japanese artists, performances by Japanese comedians and premieres of Japanese films due to diplomatic tensions.
Jazz bassist Yoshio Suzuki was interrupted by plainclothes police during his sound check in Beijing on November 20th. “After less than a minute, the owner of the venue came to me and said that the police had told him that all concerts with Japanese people were canceled – and that there were none,” German concert promoter Christian Petersen-Clausen, who has lived in the People’s Republic for 13 years, told Reuters. The 80-year-old bassist and his quintet went through a months-long vetting process to receive their visas for the performances. “They were really excited to come to China,” Petersen-Clausen said. Now the band is “devastated.”
Japan’s Prime Minister on a confrontation course
The background: At the beginning of November, the new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament in Tokyo that a military escalation of the conflict over Taiwan by China, for example through the use of warships, could also threaten Japan’s existence. In the event of such a “worst case scenario,” the head of government did not rule out the use of Japanese soldiers and referred to the country’s right to “collective self-defense,” which has been enshrined in law since 2015.
China is angry – and Japanese artists are feeling it
As “Deutsche Welle” reported, these statements caused great outrage in China. The content of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statements about Taiwan were “extremely malicious” and had angered the Chinese people, said China’s Foreign Office spokeswoman Mao Ning in Beijing. The comments would “fundamentally damage the political foundation of Sino-Japanese relations.” China’s government is demanding that Japan take back the statements, the spokeswoman said.
Import bans and cultural boycotts
Beijing’s response began with economic measures such as a boycott of travel to Japan and a ban on imports of Japanese seafood. According to “Spiegel”, the government is now expanding the boycotts to include cultural events: in the week of November 20th, around a dozen concerts in larger Chinese cities were canceled. As “Spiegel” reported, music venues were also warned by the authorities on November 20th and 21st that the remaining concerts with Japanese musicians planned for 2025 could also be canceled.
On the evening of November 19th, a planned concert by singer Kokia in Beijing also fell victim to cancellations, according to numerous complaints from fans on social media. Videos showed an angry crowd outside the venue. “Give us our money back!” demanded fans, according to “Spiegel”.
Cancellations of film premieres
Performances by Japanese comedians and premieres of Japanese film productions were also canceled, as the “South China Morning Post” reports.
Travel warnings and calls for caution
Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions between China and Taiwan appear to be continuing at the government level. As “Deutsche Welle” reported, China warned against traveling to Japan a few days ago. Japan responded and called on its citizens to behave cautiously in China. The Japanese Embassy in Beijing website says: “Be aware of your surroundings and avoid places where large crowds gather as much as possible.”
According to Deutsche Welle, the diplomatic mission also called on Japanese nationals to “respect local customs” and to pay attention to their words and behavior when dealing with locals. “If you see a person or group that appears suspicious, stay away and leave the area immediately,” it said.