Petition targets aespa’s Chinese member Ningning amid Sino-Japanese tensions.

In the wake of claims by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takai about potential intervention in Taiwan, Sino-Japanese tensions have deepened, with Beijing’s retaliatory measures dealing a heavy blow to travel and theater industries and the dispute spilling into the entertainment sector.

On the 17th, China canceled an official event for a Japanese idol, while Japan saw controversy over a Chinese member of a Korean girl group.

After it was reported that aespa would perform on NHK’s year-end special Kohaku Uta Gassen on December 31, petitions in Japan urged blocking Ningning’s appearance.

Earlier, Ningning drew controversy in 2022 after posting a lighting that resembled a mushroom cloud shortly after the atomic bomb explosion.

The opposing petition had accumulated more than 50,000 signatures by the previous afternoon.

Some outlets have noted aespa as one of the biggest victims in the current Sino-Japanese diplomatic tensions.

Meanwhile, Japanese entertainers active in China have voiced support for the “One China” principle.

On the 18th, Japanese singer MARiA posted on Weibo that “China is my second homeland” and that she would forever support the “One China” principle.

On the same day, actor Koji Yano said that China is his second home and that he will forever support the “One China” principle, expressing love for everyone.

MARiA and Koji Yano have previously appeared in Chinese entertainment programs or films/TV dramas.