Japanese 'One Piece' Singer Halted Mid-Performance In Shanghai Amid China-Japan Row

Last Updated:November 30, 2025, 16:44 IST

Maki Otsuki halted her Shanghai performance amid China Japan tensions over Taiwan. Bandai Namco Festival 2025 was cancelled following diplomatic controversy

Japanese singer Maki Otsuki (Image: Instagram)

Amid row between China and Japan over Taiwan remark, Japanese “One Piece" singer Maki Otsuki was forced to halt her performance on stage in Shanghai.

AFP quoted a post by Otsuki’s management stating that she “had to abruptly halt her performance due to unavoidable circumstances" on Friday “even though she was in the middle of performing".

Otsuki is Japanese “One Piece" singer who is known for the theme song of the popular anime. She was scheduled to perform for two days from Friday at the Bandai Namco Festival 2025.

The festival was scheduled through Sunday but it was cancelled. Kyodo News reported that the organisers informed on the Chinese social media platform WeChat that the event would be cancelled after “comprehensively taking into consideration various factors".

Besides performance by Japanese idol group, Momoiro Clover Z, who was slated to perform at the same event on Saturday, was also cancelled.

This comes as relations between China and Tokyo soured after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takiachi told lawmakers that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan’s survival could potentially warrant a military response.

Beijing considers the self-governed island part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to bring it under its control, a claim Taiwan firmly rejects.

The controversy escalated after a Chinese diplomat in Japan posted a menacing comment about Takaichi on social media.

Tokyo lodged a strong protest, but Chinese state media continued to launch fierce attacks on the prime minister, with Xinhua accusing her of “summoning Japan’s militarist demons."

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump had asked the Japanese PM not to escalate the dispute.

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