Sanrio Ends Vivant Tie-Up and Apologises After Chinese Criticism of Japanese Spy Drama

Sanrio, the Japanese company behind Hello Kitty, apologised and ended its merchandise collaboration with the Japanese TV spy drama Vivant after criticism from Chinese state media and social media users. Sanrio said the project contained elements inconsistent with its core values and corporate philosophy, and that it would cease the collaboration and all later projects and promotional campaigns. It also said it would strengthen review of future collaborations. In an episode of the show's second season, produced by Japan's TBS network and starring Masato Sakai, a Chinese-affiliated organisation tortures a member of an unofficial Japanese military spy unit. Merchandise had dressed Hello Kitty, My Melody and Cinnamoroll as characters from the show. The Global Times called the episode a deliberate smear and said the torture resembled that inflicted on Chinese nationals by Japanese troops in the Second World War. The row comes as China-Japan ties are at their lowest in years, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's November remarks on Taiwan, and days after Chinese sponsors dropped footballer Kylian Mbappé over comments about Mao Zedong.

The Guardian, on the left, leads with the Chinese reaction: it quotes state media calling the portrayal "ruthless violence" and a deliberate smear, and it gives the most space to the Global Times' wartime comparison and to Sanrio's Weibo post. The alternative outlets, France 24 (AFP) and BBC News, agree on the core facts but add context the Guardian excerpt lacks: the Mbappé sponsorship loss, the Takaichi-Taiwan dispute, Sanrio's pledge on review processes and a Global Times claim about Japan's conservative government. Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative outlets had.