Beijing is punishing Japan – and its own young people – by pulling the plug on pop concerts

As the chief executive of Index, it’ll be of no surprise to anyone that I’ve attended my share of protests. What may be more surprising is that the largest of them all, by a long way, was in Beijing. In late summer 2012, nationalist fury against Japan erupted over the disputed ownership of islands off Taiwan’s coast.

Japanese restaurants and cars were vandalised, Chinese flags adorned offices, and central Beijing filled with thousands – perhaps hundreds of thousands – of protesters outside the Japanese Embassy. I found myself on the outskirts of the protest, mesmerised. For the record, I wasn’t participating, merely passing through.

Such unrest might seem curious in a nation where the government tightly controls dissent, but these demonstrations were not only permitted, they were actively encouraged. Apparently, attendees were bussed in from neighbouring regions, given free transport and daily allowances.

Anti-Japanese sentiment is never far away in China. Switch on the TV and you’ll likely come across a show about Japanese atrocities during World War II or something similar, as I reported here. And in 2012, such sentiment was politically expedient. Authorities weaponised it to divert attention from domestic grievances.

It’s a different story today. There are no mass street protests to be seen, even though tensions have once again flared between China and Japan. Last month, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that a Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan could pose an existential threat to Japan and justify a military response. The comments enraged many in China. But these days the Chinese economy is too fragile to risk unrest spiralling. Leaders need only recall how the 2022 Urumchi fire protests rapidly morphed into nationwide criticism of Beijing’s rule, to fear their effects.

Still, Beijing is punishing Japan for Takaichi’s words. They’ve asked her to retract them and she’s refused, so now the knives are out. The “wolf warriors” have re-emerged, spouting anti-Japan vitriol online. Major Chinese travel companies have stopped selling tours to Japan. Screenings of Japanese films have been paused, cultural exchange events cancelled. Perhaps the most dramatic retaliation has been against Japanese singers. Multiple concerts have been shut down. In Shanghai last Friday, Maki Otsuki, best known for singing the theme tune to the Japanese anime series One Piece, had the lights and sound cut mid-performance. A video shows her stunned as staff remove her microphone and lead her offstage. The following night, pop icon Ayumi Hamasaki posted an apology to fans after her show was axed minutes before it was due to begin. She shared photos of herself and her dancers performing in an empty venue (see photo above). Other organisers report similar cancellations.

The throngs of young Chinese who are big fans of Japanese culture feel put out and have taken to social media to say as much. They can see that a Japanese politician shouldn’t have to parrot Beijing lines in order for musicians to finish a concert in the country. Though who knows where that rage will go?