Two mayors have invited Japanese pop icon Ayumi Hamasaki to perform in their cities after her Shanghai concert was abruptly canceled on Saturday last week, a decision widely interpreted as fallout from the latest political spat between Japan and China.
Organizers in Shanghai pulled Hamasaki’s show at the last minute, citing force majeure, a justification that convinced few. The cancelation came shortly after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi remarked that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a military response from Tokyo — comments that angered Beijing and triggered a series of retaliatory moves.
Hamasaki received an immediate show of support from Taiwanese. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) on Monday told reporters that the capital — where Hamasaki performed to massive crowds on Aug. 1 and 2 — would “very much welcome” her return and would continue to “surprise” her. On the same day, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said his city regularly hosts major international acts and would likewise welcome Hamasaki to perform there.
Fellow singer Maki Otsuki on Friday last week also had her concert in Shanghai abruptly halted while she was in the middle of her set, the BBC reported.
The incidents underscore a long-standing risk that performers, companies and even governments face when they become overly dependent on the Chinese market. Japan has been experiencing it first-hand for years and many have urged a gradual decoupling from China’s unpredictable market environment. Beijing’s “carrot and stick” approach — granting market access as a reward for toeing the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) political line and imposing economic or cultural penalties on those who do not — has become a familiar pattern.
Yet in applying this strategy to Japan, Beijing appears to have misjudged its target. The CCP seems to have assumed that concert cancelations and tourism restrictions would pressure Japanese politicians or sway public sentiment. Instead, reactions on Japanese social media have ranged from indifferent to relieved.
Some Japanese have framed China’s suspension of flights to Japan as a welcome breather from overtourism, a problem that local residents and municipalities have increasingly struggled with.
Others have said that the cancelations harm Chinese fans more than they pressure Japanese performers or politicians. If Chinese organizers demonstrate an inability to guarantee that shows will proceed without political interference, Japanese talent agencies might begin to view China as an unstable or high-risk market — one where reputational damage, sudden cancelations and political entanglements outweigh financial benefits. In the long run, Beijing’s actions might discourage foreign performers from planning China tours at all.
The dynamic mirrors what multinational companies have experienced. Firms such as Apple Inc and Volkswagen, once dominant in China, face declining market shares amid policies that heavily favor domestic brands. As competition grows and political risks increase, companies and entertainers might decide that the Chinese market simply is not worth the squeeze.
Taiwan, by contrast, is a far more attractive destination. Hamasaki sold 260,000 tickets for her Taipei shows in August — compared with only 14,000 for the Shanghai performance. In Taiwan, Japanese performers need not worry about inadvertently offending political sensitivities related to sovereignty, nor do they face the risk of last-minute government-ordered cancelations. The regulatory environment is predictable, the audience enthusiastic and cultural ties warm.
China’s misreading of Japanese sentiment is also evident in the inflammatory remarks by Xue Jian (薛劍), China’s consul-general in Osaka, who on Nov. 8 suggested that Takaichi’s “head should be cut off.” The comment sparked widespread outrage in Japan.
Meanwhile, a Nov. 19 Global Times editorial questioning Japan’s sovereignty over Okinawa prompted a firm response. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara dismissed the editorial and said that a formal reaction was unnecessary because “there is absolutely no doubt Okinawa is our nation’s territory,” Japan Today reported.
Rather than intimidating Japan, such actions have only reinforced skepticism toward Beijing. Japan has repeatedly shown that its political positions are self-determined and cannot be dictated by foreign pressure. Militarily, Japan is backed by the US; economically, it has already begun reducing its reliance on the Chinese market. Neither coercion nor threats are likely to change its policies on Taiwan or regional security.
A survey by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan found that 74.5 percent of Japanese feel a sense of closeness to Taiwan, 63.6 percent consider Taiwan trustworthy and 68.5 percent believe the relationship is positive.
Taiwan should continue to cultivate those bonds. As China increasingly blurs the line between political retaliation and cultural or personal exchanges, more Japanese are likely to turn toward Taiwan — culturally, economically and strategically.
Beijing’s coercive tactics might do more to isolate China than to pressure its neighbors, forcing it to one day face the costs of its confrontational approach.
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