Japanese singer's show cut short in Shanghai amid China tensions

Yoshiaki Nohara, Bloomberg News on Nov 29, 2025

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A Japanese singer was forced to stop her performance in Shanghai on Friday as the fallout from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan continues to sour ties between Asia’s two largest economies.

Maki Otsuki — known for the theme song to the popular anime "One Piece" — was forced to interrupt her show at an event in the Chinese city being held by Japanese gamemaker Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. Footage posted to social media showed the lights were abruptly dimmed as Otsuki was performing a song and she was escorted offstage by two staff members.

The cancellation was due to “due to unavoidable circumstances,” according to the singer’s official website. Calls made to Bandai Namco were unanswered outside business hours on Saturday.

A concert by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki that had been scheduled for Saturday in Shanghai has been canceled, according to local media. Popular Japanese duo Yuzu also announced on Nov. 22 that they have canceled their December performances in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei.

The spat between Tokyo and Beijing shows no sign of easing since Takaichi linked Taiwan’s security to Japan’s own in comments earlier this month. China has warned tourists against visiting Japan, suspended seafood imports and frozen film approvals. The dispute also prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to hold a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping and a separate call with Takaichi this week.

Joseph Wu, Secretary-General of the Taiwan National Security Council, weighed in on social media describing the way Otsuki was interrupted as “medieval.”