Japanese One Piece singer stopped mid-performance in Shanghai event
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Maki Otsuki, whose songs have featured in the popular anime One Piece, was escorted off stage on Nov 29 midway through a performance.
PHOTO: AFP
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SHANGHAI - A Japanese singer whose songs feature in the popular anime One Piece was forced to stop performing on stage in Shanghai on Nov 28, the latest disruption in events involving Japanese artists in China amid a bilateral diplomatic row.
Maki Otsuki had been slated to perform for two days from Nov 28 at the Bandai Namco Festival 2025, but her management posted a statement on her website on Nov 29 that she had to “suddenly stop performing due to unavoidable circumstances” on Nov 28.
Her performance for Nov 29 has also been cancelled for the same reason, it added.
The move comes as tensions heighten between the Japanese and Chinese governments over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remarks
A video on social media shows Otsuki singing on stage before the lights are suddenly turned off and the music stops.
Two people believed to be staff approach Otsuki and escort her off the stage.
Bandai Namco Festival 2025 itself was scheduled through Nov 30, but the organisers announced on the Chinese social media platform WeChat that the whole event would be cancelled after “comprehensively taking into consideration various factors”.
Popular Japanese female idol group Momoiro Clover Z, due to perform at the same event on Nov 29, were also affected.
Other artistes and shows that have been forced to call off performances in China include pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki, jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara, as well as the musical Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.
Journalist Soichiro Matsutani, an expert in Asian pop culture, said the latest development comes at an unfortunate time as the Japanese government is stepping up efforts to pitch video games, anime and other content overseas.
“The situation surrounding Japan’s entertainment business could become even more severe,” Mr Matsutani said, recalling a rift about a decade ago between China and South Korea over the deployment of a missile defence system that led to Beijing limiting the airplay of South Korean dramas. KYODO NEWS
