K-pop singer’s social media post fuels diplomatic row between China and Japan

A 2022 social media post by Ningning, the Chinese member of K-pop group Aespa, has become an unexpected cultural flashpoint amid rising diplomatic tensions between China and Japan.

The post on the messaging app Bubble contains a video of a “pretty light” shaped like a “mushroom cloud”. It has stirred outrage in Japan where critics claim that it references the Hiroshima bombing.

The backlash has gained traction. A petition in Japan demanding that Aespa be removed from a New Year music program has gathered more than 103,000 signatures, according to the South China Morning Post, intensifying public anger as tensions rise between Tokyo and Beijing.

Those tensions have begun to reverberate across China’s entertainment scene as well. Authorities and venue operators in cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou were told this week to stop staging performances by Japanese acts and to halt applications for new events, Reuters reported, saying that nearly a dozen concerts were affected.

Fans of Japanese singer-songwriter Kokia were among the first to feel the impact. Her Beijing concert on Wednesday evening was cancelled due to what organizers said was a “last-minute technical issue”, according to the South China Morning Post.

In Guangzhou, a show scheduled for later this month featuring three members of Japanese boy group JO1 was cancelled, with organizers providing no explanation beyond “force majeure”.

The China tour of Japanese rapper KID FRESINO was indefinitely postponed, his promoter announced on Friday.

In Shanghai, a three-day comedy festival involving a dozen Japanese comedians was abandoned two days before opening.

In Beijing, a concert by veteran jazz musician Yoshio Suzuki was cancelled after police intervened at the venue shortly before the performance was set to begin, telling staff that shows involving Japanese artists could not proceed.

According to Reuters, music venues across China were told by authorities to prepare for the eventuality that concerts featuring Japanese musicians till the end of the year could be cancelled and to suspend new applications for 2026 performances involving Japanese artists.

China has previously used cultural restrictions as leverage in diplomatic disputes.

Source : https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/east-asia/japan-china-concert-film-cancelled-sanae-takaichi-diplomatic-tension-b2869826.html

Comprehension

Who is Ningning, and what was the content of her 2022 social media post?
Why did the post cause outrage in Japan?
How many signatures did the petition gather demanding Aespa’s removal from a New Year's program?
What did the authorities in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou instruct venue operators to do?
Why was Kokia’s Beijing concert cancelled?
What reason was given for cancelling the JO1 members’ show in Guangzhou?
What happened to the China tour of Japanese rapper KID FRESINO?
Why was Yoshio Suzuki’s concert in Beijing cancelled?
What were Chinese music venues told to prepare for regarding Japanese artists?
According to the article, how has China used cultural restrictions in the past?

Discussion

Do you think Ningning’s post was intentionally offensive, or was it misunderstood? Why?
How can social media posts create international conflicts or misunderstandings?
Should entertainment and politics be kept separate? Why or why not?
How might cancelling performances by Japanese artists affect cultural exchange between China and Japan?
Do you think petitions with many signatures should influence decisions about public performances?
What responsibilities do celebrities have when posting online, especially when they have international audiences?
How might these cancellations impact fans who are not involved in political issues?
In your opinion, are cultural restrictions a fair way for countries to respond to diplomatic tensions? Why or why not?

Vocabulary

Flashpoint – A situation or event that suddenly causes strong conflict or tension.
Outrage – A strong feeling of shock, anger, or disapproval.
Backlash – A strong negative reaction by a large number of people.
Petition – A written request signed by many people asking authorities to take action.
Reverberate – To have continuing and spreading effects.
Halt – To stop or prevent something from continuing.
Force majeure – An unexpected event (like a disaster) that prevents someone from fulfilling a contract.
Indefinitely – For an unknown or unspecified period of time.
Intervene – To step in or get involved in a situation to change what is happening.
Leverage – The use of something (like rules or restrictions) to influence a situation or outcome.