Maki Otsuki was just coming to the end of her One Piece track “Memories” when the music suddenly cut and the stage lights dropped. Performing in Shanghai at the Bandai Namco Festival 2025 on Friday, the Japanese performer was then ushered off the stage by crew at the venue. The following day, her management posted on her website that she “had to abruptly halt her performance due to unavoidable circumstances even though she was in the middle of performing.”
As she left the stage, the audience looked completely bewildered and some started swearing. Following the incident, the whole festival, which was scheduled through Sunday, was abruptly canceled. Organizers wrote on WeChat that the decision had been made after “comprehensively taking into consideration various factors.” Otsuki and the popular all-female idol group Momoiro Clover Z were due to perform on Saturday. “The Chinese hate campaign against Japan is now seriously reaching a Maoist Cultural Revolution tier fever pitch,” posted one X user, who added that it is “Just so barbaric and astonishing.”
Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki performing in Ningbo, China in 2024 | Wikimedia
Ayumi Hamasaki Performs in Shanghai Without an Audience
It’s the latest in a spate of Japan-related concerts and cultural events being canceled in China. On Friday afternoon, it was announced that Ayumi Hamasaki’s concert, slated to be held in Shanghai on Saturday, would no longer be taking place. Force majeure was cited as the reason. Despite this, she still performed at the stadium without an audience. Yet even with the 14,000 empty seats, she said she “felt so much love,” describing it as “one of the most unforgettable shows ever.” She also thanked the Chinese and Japanese crews as well as the band members and dancers who made it possible.
Other Japanese artists forced to cancel their shows in China include Hiromi Uehara and the pop rock duo Yuzu. The Sailor Moon musical was also axed and Japanese films such as Cells at Work and Crayon Shin-chan have had their releases postponed as the fallout from Sanae Takaichi’s comment about Taiwan continues. Earlier this month, the Japanese prime minister asserted that a Chinese naval blockade on Taiwan would likely constitute a “survival-threatening situation” that could force Japan to respond. China reacted furiously, summoning Tokyo’s ambassador and advising its citizens against travel to Japan.
