Japanese singer Maki Otsuki, famous for the theme song to the TV anime show One Piece, was forced to abruptly stop her performance in Shanghai last Friday, the latest cultural event affected by a diplomatic dispute between Tokyo and Beijing, according to various media reports.
Otsuki was performing at the Bandai Namco Festival 2025 when her performance was halted mid-show. Her management stated the interruption was due to “unavoidable circumstances.”
The Japanese live music and entertainment festival was subsequently canceled entirely.
The incident follows a continued downturn in relations after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily if Taiwan were attacked, which Beijing sees as a direct challenge to its sovereignty over the island under the One-China policy.
[See more: Beijing slams Japan’s plan to deploy weapons near Taiwan]
Other Japanese artists, including pop star Ayumi Hamasaki, female idol group Momoiro Clover Z, jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara, jazz musician Yoshio Suzuki and the musical Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon have also had their performances cancelled in China.
Music venues were warned two weeks ago by authorities that concerts with Japanese musicians for the remainder of 2025 may be cancelled, according to Reuters.
Japanese films and seafood imports have already been suspended as a result of current tensions.
