With a new wave of anti-Japan sentiment in China over the Japanese government’s recent move to nationalize three of the contested Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), Taiwanese showbiz performers are shunning cooperation with Japan-based corporations in an apparent move to avoid being caught in the territorial crossfire.
The Japanese government paid ￥2.05 billion (US$26 million) for three of the islands in the chain on Sept. 11 in an effort to nationalize the archipelago, a resource-rich island group in the East China Sea claimed by Taiwan, China and Japan, which calls them the Senkaku Islands.
The move prompted an angry rebuke from the Chinese government, which accused Japan of “playing with fire,” setting aflame widespread anti-Japan demonstrations in several cities across China over the past few days.
Taiwanese supermodel and actress Lin Chi-ling (林志玲) is said to have put off a scheduled visit to Japan on Sept. 10 to promote her latest movie, Sweet Heart Chocolate (甜心巧克力), which was funded by Chinese and Japanese firms, because of the escalating tension over the island group.
Despite a previous explanation that the postponement was the result of a post-production delay, Lin’s manager, Fan Ching-mei (范清美), said on Monday that “given the current circumstances,” Lin would not fly to Japan to take part in the movie’s promotion campaign.
“She is an actress who only wants to concentrate on her work, rather than intervening in any political issues. She has not received any job offers from Japan recently and therefore has no plan to visit the country anytime soon,” Fan said.
Taiwanese actor Jerry Yan (言承旭), who has a large fan base in Japan, is in negotiations to star in a new movie and does not have any plans to visit Japan recently, Yan’s manager Chi Yi-liang (紀宜良) said.
TV idol Peter Ho (何潤東), who has starred in a number of Japanese films, also does not have plans to visit Japan in the near future, according to Ho’s agent A-ben, who said Ho had not flown to the country after a promotion event for Taiwanese idol drama, Ring Ring Bell (真心請按兩次鈴), in July.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese singer Vivian Hsu (徐若瑄), a highly recognized celebrity in Japan, who is currently in Hong Kong shooting a Japanese televised drama based on the Kindaichi Case Files (金田一少年事件簿), a popular Japanese manga series, declined to comment on the territorial row.
“She only wishes to do her work and carry out her duty as a showbiz performer, and does not want to comment on the issue at this point,” Hsu’s manager Chai Hsiao-chien (柴曉倩) said.
Despite being assigned as the Tourism Bureau’s representative to Japan in 2010, local boy band Fahrenheit (飛輪海) also appeared to be avoiding visiting Japan during the politically sensitive period.
“They do not have any scheduled visits to Japan in the near future,” said HIM International Music, the group’s record label.
Taiwanese singer Show Luo (羅志祥) also canceled two scheduled concerts to be staged in Tokyo later this month, which could have generated about NT$12 million (US$408,000) in ticket revenue, amid intensified anti-Japan sentiment across China.
“Before the issue [territorial dispute] is properly settled, I will suspend all promotional activities in Japan,” Luo said in a post on his Sina Weibo account on Monday.
The post has received more than 45,000 comments and has been shared almost 58,000 times, with most of Luo’s Chinese fans applauding him for his “guts.”
Meanwhile, Taiwanese band Mayday (五月天), who recently called off a planned concert in Xi-an, China, on Sept. 29 amid widespread anti-Japan demonstrations, called for an end to the long-running territorial disputes.
“In the face of an intensified dispute over the Diaoyu, I hope music can bring peace of mind to the people and bring the row to an end,” Mayday lead singer A-hsin (阿信) said on Monday.
In addition to Taiwanese showbiz performers, high-profile Hong Kong stars have also been affected by the sovereignty dispute.
Hong Kong superstar Tony Leung (梁朝偉) was recently lambasted by Chinese nationalists as a “traitor” for his plan to star in a Japanese film, 1905, with Japanese actress Maeda Atsuko.
Additional reporting by Chen Hui-ling, Feng Yi-en and Huang Cheng-yi
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS