Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty, has apologised and ended its merchandise partnership with the Japanese spy thriller Vivant after the show drew backlash in China over its depiction of Chinese agents.
Chinese state media and social media users have slammed Vivant for showing Chinese agents using brutal torture tactics on a Japanese operative. Hello Kitty and her friends, including My Melody and Cinnamoroll, had been featured in merchandise dressed as characters from the show.
The dispute comes as China-Japan ties have plunged to their lowest point in years since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan last November sparked a diplomatic firestorm. Beijing has since heaped pressure on Tokyo, from restricting rare earth exports to curbing tourism and reclaiming pandas. Takaichi told parliament earlier this month that she had recorded episodes of Vivant and planned to watch them over the year-end holidays.
Sanrio said it terminated the collaboration after determining that Vivant "contained elements inconsistent with Sanrio's core values". "Since its inception, Sanrio has consistently used its characters to convey values such as care and connection, and remains committed to its corporate philosophy of fostering harmony among all people," Sanrio said in a statement late Wednesday. "We take the feedback we have received regarding this incident very seriously. Moving forward, we will strengthen our review processes for all future collaborative projects."
State-run Global Times took aim at Sanrio on Wednesday, saying the hugely popular cat character "should not dance with Japan's right wing". Sanrio "stands to lose far more than short-term sales" by collaborating with "anti-China content", the Global Times article said. "The trust and emotional bond it has built up over a long time will also suffer."
Masamine Ryuho, president of Vivant's TV network TBS, said on Wednesday that the show was completely fictional and had no intentions of "disparaging any particular country".
Vivant follows a Japanese salaryman entangled in an international web of crime and espionage. Its first season aired in 2023 and was set in a fictional Central Asian country; its second, which premiered in July, features Chinese agents torturing a Japanese spy by cutting his fingers and stabbing his abdomen. Chinese state outlets including CCTV argued the tactics "highly overlap" with those historically used by Japanese troops against the Chinese, and that the drama "distorts the truth".
Hello Kitty is not the only internationally beloved figure to face such wrath in China this week. Several Chinese brands dropped French footballer Kylian Mbappé over comments he made about Mao Zedong, which he has since apologised for.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The dispute shows China-Japan political tensions spilling into consumer markets, forcing global brands to respond to criticism in China.
- Sanrio's decision could set a precedent for other Japanese companies weighing collaborations with entertainment tied to politically sensitive content.
- The company's pledge to strengthen review processes signals that future partnerships will be vetted more carefully, with potential effects on its global merchandise strategy.
Background
Hello Kitty is one of the world's most recognisable characters, built by Japanese company Sanrio into a broad merchandise business. The current row is rooted in a sharp deterioration in China-Japan relations after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's November comments on Taiwan, which Beijing treated as a diplomatic provocation. Since then, China has applied pressure across trade, tourism and cultural ties, and Japanese cultural exports have come under scrutiny.
Key Perspectives
- Sanrio: Says Vivant "contained elements inconsistent with Sanrio's core values", apologised for the backlash, and promised to strengthen review processes for future collaborative projects.
- Chinese state media (Global Times, CCTV): Argues the drama distorts the truth, that Hello Kitty "should not dance with Japan's right wing", and that Sanrio "stands to lose far more than short-term sales" from collaborating with "anti-China content".
- TBS president Masamine Ryuho: Says Vivant is completely fictional and had no intentions of "disparaging any particular country".
What to Watch
- Whether other Japanese brands or broadcasters face similar partnership withdrawals or boycotts as the diplomatic row continues.
- How Sanrio's revised review processes change its choice of future collaboration partners.
- Whether Beijing escalates pressure on Japanese cultural exports or targets other companies with ties to Vivant.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe headline says Sanrio cut ties with the spy drama Vivant after a China backlash.BBC News: “Hello Kitty maker cuts ties with Japanese spy drama after China backlash.”
- SupportedSanrio apologised and ended its merchandise partnership with Vivant.BBC News: “Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty, has apologised and ended its merchandise partnership with a controversial Japanese TV show after drawing backlash in China.”
- SupportedSanrio says it will strengthen reviews for future collaborations.BBC News: “Moving forward, we will strengthen our review processes for all future collaborative projects.”
- SupportedChinese state media and social media users criticised Vivant for depicting Chinese agents using brutal torture tactics on a Japanese operative.BBC News: “Vivant, a popular spy thriller, has been widely slammed in Chinese state media and by Chinese social media users for its depiction of Chinese agents using brutal torture tactics on a Japanese operative.”
- SupportedSanrio said it ended the collaboration after finding that Vivant “contained elements inconsistent with Sanrio's core values”.BBC News: “Sanrio said it terminated its collaboration with Vivant after determining that it "contained elements inconsistent with Sanrio's core values".”
- SupportedSanrio said it uses its characters to convey care and connection, is committed to fostering harmony, and takes the feedback seriously.BBC News: “"Since its inception, Sanrio has consistently used its characters to convey values such as care and connection, and remains committed to its corporate philosophy of fostering harmony among all people," Sanrio said in the statement late on Wednesday. "We take the feedback we have received regarding this incident very seriously.”
- SupportedThe Global Times said Hello Kitty “should not dance with Japan's right wing”.BBC News: “State-run Global Times took aim at Sanrio on Wednesday, saying the hugely popular cat character "should not dance with Japan's right wing".”
- SupportedThe Global Times said Sanrio risked losing more than short-term sales and that its long-built trust and emotional bond would suffer.BBC News: “Sanrio "stands to lose far more than short-term sales" by collaborating with "anti-China content", the Global Times article said. "The trust and emotional bond it has built up over a long time will also suffer."”
- SupportedTBS president Masamine Ryuho said Vivant was fictional and had no intention of disparaging a particular country.BBC News: “Masamine Ryuho, the president of Vivant's TV network TBS, said on Wednesday that the show was completely fictional and had no intentions of "disparaging any particular country".”
- SupportedChinese state outlets said the tactics highly overlap with those historically used by Japanese troops against Chinese people and that the drama distorts the truth.BBC News: “Chinese state outlets, including CCTV, argued that these tactics "highly overlap" with those historically used by Japanese troops against the Chinese, and that the drama "distorts the truth".”
- SupportedChina-Japan ties had fallen to their lowest point in years after Sanae Takaichi's Taiwan comments last November sparked a diplomatic firestorm.BBC News: “China-Japan ties have plunged to their lowest point in years, since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan last November sparked a diplomatic firestorm.”
- SupportedThe second season, which premiered in July, features Chinese agents torturing a Japanese spy by cutting his fingers and stabbing his abdomen.BBC News: “Its second season, which premiered in July, features Chinese agents torturing a Japanese spy by cutting his fingers and stabbing his abdomen.”
