Sanrio ends partnership with the series 'Vivant' after criticism in China

The key facts

Sanrio cancelled its collaboration with the series 'Vivant' and apologised to the Chinese audience
The series was criticised for a scene showing a Japanese spy being tortured by Chinese agents
The conflict unfolds against the backdrop of a diplomatic crisis between Tokyo and Beijing

Sanrio pulls out of collaboration

Sanrio, the company behind the Hello Kitty brand, has apologised and ended its partnership with the popular Japanese spy thriller 'Vivant' after a wave of criticism in China, BBC News reports. The company's characters — Hello Kitty, My Melody and Cinnamoroll — appeared on merchandise styled as the show's heroes. Sanrio said the project 'contained elements incompatible with the company's core values' and promised to strengthen vetting procedures for future collaborations. The company's Chinese division separately apologised on the social network Weibo, adding that 'all subsequent projects and promotional campaigns' had been cancelled, AFP writes.

What drew the objections

The second season of 'Vivant', which premiered in July, depicts Chinese agents torturing a Japanese spy — cutting off his fingers and stabbing him in the stomach. Chinese state media, including CCTV, claimed that these methods 'closely resemble' those historically used by Japanese troops against the Chinese, and that the series 'distorts the truth'. The Global Times newspaper separately criticised Sanrio itself, writing that the popular character 'should not dance with Japanese right-wingers', and that partnering with 'anti-China content' would cost the company more than short-term sales. TBS network president Masamine Ryuho said the series is entirely fictional and does not intend to 'demean any particular country'; AFP notes that the channel itself was unable to promptly comment on the situation when asked.

Context: the Japan-China crisis

The cancellation of the collaboration comes amid the most serious cooling of relations between Tokyo and Beijing in recent years. The trigger was remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in parliament in November: she suggested that Japan would deploy its Self-Defense Forces if China attacked Taiwan. Since then, according to the BBC, Beijing has pressured Tokyo in various ways — from restricting exports of rare earth metals to reducing tourism and recalling pandas. Notably, Takaichi said in parliament earlier this month that she had recorded episodes of 'Vivant' and planned to watch them over the New Year holidays. Criticism campaigns have also touched other well-known figures: this week several Chinese brands terminated contracts with footballer Kylian Mbappe over his remarks about Mao Zedong, for which he later apologised.