Pokemon has issued an apology in both Japanese and Chinese after a planned card game event sparked a backlash in China. Due to be held at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, the event was eventually canceled. The site honors Japan’s 2.4 million war dead, including convicted war criminals. Chinese media denounced the choice of location.  

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Chinese Media Condemns Pokemon Event at Yasukuni Shrine 

“Brands that disregard history and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will ultimately be abandoned,” commented the People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s official news site. It added, “The relevant enterprises must accordingly take social responsibility and not make light of the heavy weight of history in the name of entertainment.”

The state-run Global Times said, “Any enter­tain­ment or leis­ure activ­it­ies held at such a site con­sti­tute an open affront to his­tor­ical truth, and sta­ging events aimed at children there is even more egre­gious.” It also commended “China’s young net­izens” for criticizing the event. 

It was organized by a certified third party through Pokemon’s official website. In a statement on Friday, the company said that the event had been “mistakenly posted due to a lack of due diligence.” It added, “After the incident was discovered, the event was promptly canceled.”

Deteriorating Relations 

The incident comes amid rising tensions between Japan and China. In November, new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said an emergency involving the use of force in Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” in Japan. The remark angered officials in China, and the nation’s Foreign Ministry urged its citizens to refrain from visiting Japan. 

In a social media post last Monday, the ministry reiterated its warning, stating, “Chinese citizens in Japan are facing serious safety threats.” On the same day, information platform Flight Master revealed that all scheduled flights on 49 China-Japan air routes have been canceled for February 2026. 

About Yasukuni Shrine 

Founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869, Yasukuni Shrine is a site other Asian nations see as a symbol of Japan’s wartime aggression. It enshrines 1,066 convicted war criminals, 14 of whom were charged with Class A crimes. Official visits there by Japanese prime ministers and cabinet members spark protests from neighboring countries. 

In May 2024, a Chinese man spray-painted the word “toilet” on a stone pillar bearing the shrine’s name after appearing to urinate on it. More graffiti was found on the same pillar two and a half months later. It was defaced with words such as “Die,” “Militarism” and “Toilet.” In November of that year, the kanji character for “death” was found carved into two spots on a stone wall outside the shrine. 

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Updated On February 3, 2026