Hello Kitty maker Sanrio apologises and scraps its tie-up with a Japanese spy drama after a furious backlash in China
Sanrio's Hello Kitty character, whose maker cut ties with Netflix drama 'Vivant' after China's Global Times warned the cat "should not dance with Japan's right wing.The Netflix thriller Vivant, which Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi told parliament she had recorded and planned to watch over the year-end holidays, deepening Beijing's fury at the show.
Chinese state media and Weibo users exploded in outrage over a scene in the spy thriller Vivant's latest season, in which a fictional Chinese intelligence agent severs a Japanese operative's fingers and stabs him — with the Global Times labelling the drama "notorious for smearing China" and arguing Hello Kitty "should not dance with Japan's right wing."
Chinese outlets accused the show of distorting wartime history, alleging that the torture methods on screen echo atrocities carried out by Japanese troops against Chinese civilians during World War Two.
Sanrio's China sales surged 83% last year and now represent roughly 40% of its overseas revenue, handing Beijing substantial leverage over the company.
The dispute comes after Chinese sponsors cut ties with Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe following his description of Mao Zedong as a "dictator", highlighting the delicate line foreign firms must tread in China.
