Chinese fans brace for curbs on Japanese culture, echoing hallyu ban

A woman poses for a picture next to a promotional installation for the Japanese animated film "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba — The Movie: Infinity Castle," outside a cinema in Beijing, Nov. 18. Yonhap-Reuters

What was meant to be an ordinary concert for fans of Japanese singer-songwriter Kokia in Beijing turned into disappointment when the show was abruptly canceled on Nov. 19.

Fans waited outside the venue for over an hour past the scheduled start time, only to leave without ever seeing a performance, according to social media posts.

For Wang Xiaobu, a Beijing office worker who bought a ticket for the Beijing show, the cancellation wasn’t the end. Determined to see Kokia perform, she made a last-minute decision, flying to Guangzhou for another concert during the weekend.

“I turned regret into contentment,” she said on the lifestyle platform RedNote. “The last-minute cancellation for my first time also led to my first spur-of-the-moment trip. An unforgettable experience.”

Wang’s experience appears to be tied to the latest fallout from an escalating spat between China and Japan over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments suggesting Tokyo would deploy its self-defense forces in the event of a Beijing attack on Taiwan.

China, which regards the self-ruled island as part of its territory, was infuriated and repeatedly called on Takaichi to withdraw her remarks. Beijing’s response covered economic measures, which have since increasingly spilled over to the realm of cultural events, including the freezing of Japanese movie releases on Chinese screens.

An informal tally by Chinese internet users shows that at least 20 Japanese concerts, live performances and fan meetings across major cities have been canceled or postponed since Takaichi’s remarks.

This has caused growing concern among Chinese consumers of Japanese pop culture that content will be limited or even face a full-fledged ban, reminiscent of the hallyu, or Korean wave, ban that started in 2016 in response to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system.

Since then, the vast majority of Korean dramas and movies have not passed Chinese broadcast reviews, meaning they cannot be aired on Chinese television channels or in local cinemas. Most Korean singers and performers also cannot hold large-scale concerts within China.

A man passes by the entrance to DDC music club featuring concert posters, including one for Japanese musician Toshio Osumi, in Beijing, Nov. 21. Yonhap-Reuters

Many of China’s millennials and Gen Z have grown up with broad access to Japanese animation, films, television dramas, comics and games. Their love for Japanese pop culture, paired with rising spending power, has fueled a booming “goods economy” rooted in anime, comics and game (ACG) culture.

Shanghai, a key hub for anime-related events, exhibitions and pop-up stores, plays a central role in this trend. The city hosts a flurry of Japanese artist performances, largely thanks to its geographical proximity to Japan.

“If there is a restriction or ban, it’s not just about losing what I love to buy — it’s also about losing a lifestyle for younger generations,” said Wang Yulu, a 22-year-old college student in Shanghai and a lifelong fan of Japanese animation who enjoys shopping for ACG-related merchandise.

“Japanese pop culture could naturally fade away from their world if access becomes limited or even nonexistent,” Wang said, adding that living in Shanghai gives her easier access to buy such merchandise.

The youth-driven goods economy has brought fresh opportunities to brands and traditional malls, with ACG merchandise — such as badges, acrylic stands and collectible cards — gaining popularity. According to iiMedia Research, China’s goods economy market reached 168.9 billion yuan ($23.8 billion) last year, a 40.6 percent increase from 2023, and is projected to surpass 300 billion yuan by 2029.

Reflecting on a similar precedent, Wang noted how the hallyu ban significantly limited her exposure to Korean culture.

“There used to be so many Korean variety shows, celebrities and products in China, but after the ban, I felt my understanding of Korean culture became increasingly limited,” she said. “Now, whenever Korea is mentioned, my first reaction is K-pop — and it is the only thing I can think of that is still popular here.”

Meanwhile, Pluto Wang, a follower of Japanese singers who works for an internet company in Beijing, said he fully understands his country’s response, as the Japanese leader’s remarks hit at the heart of China’s interests.

“I’ll continue to enjoy Japanese culture and works objectively, keeping politics aside. However, opportunities to see live performances by my favorite Japanese singers in China may become far less frequent as a result,” he said.

Amid the escalating tensions, some Chinese netizens voiced their support for measures targeting Japanese cultural exports.

“We must support our country this time, as the prime minister’s remarks severely crossed our national red line!” one user wrote on Weibo, China’s equivalent of the social media platform X.

A woman points to a poster for a canceled concert by Japanese musician Yoshio Suzuki in Beijing, Nov. 21. Yonhap-Reuters

A Guangdong province native working in the culture sector, who gave his name as Lester, said he is worried more about the far-reaching impact brought by the recent flurry of abrupt performance cancellations.

“Sudden disruptions like this will make many Japanese artists and performers hesitant to engage with China in the future, and bilateral exchanges remain highly susceptible to geopolitical developments,” he said.

Cultural exchange is an important means of fostering understanding, but it can only happen when there is sufficient space for it to develop, he said, adding that this space seems to be dying at the moment.

Experts on China-Japan relations offered a cautious assessment, warning that the broader outlook has grown less optimistic and that a short-term restriction is likely.

“As for the long term, it remains to be seen whether restrictions will develop into a systemic ban resulting in a complete halt to cultural exchanges between China and Japan, just like the hallyu ban,” said Zheng Zhihua, an associate professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Centre for Japanese Studies.

He noted that Beijing is wary about Japan’s recent deployment of medium-range missiles on Yonaguni, a small island less than 110 kilometers from Taiwan.

“If political, military and diplomatic confrontations between the two countries continue to escalate in a spiraling fashion, these tensions are bound to spill over to the cultural sphere.”

Alyssa Chen is a reporter with the South China Morning Post. She is currently based in Seoul, writing for both The Korea Times and the South China Morning Post under an exchange program.