Petitions to block Ningning’s appearance amid Sino-Japanese tensions.

Amid rising tensions between China and Japan, the K-pop girl group aespa finds itself at the center of controversy in Japan after reports that a petition to block Ningning’s appearance has been filed. According to Chinese media, the petition targets Ningning, aespa’s Chinese member.

Ningning drew controversy in 2022 after she posted a lighting effect on social media that resembled a mushroom cloud following an atomic bomb explosion. The petitioners argued that Kohaku Uta Gassen is a major official event, and tolerating such remarks would damage Japan’s international image and wound Hiroshima’s victims. The petition has reportedly surpassed 50,000 signatures.

In China, meanwhile, a Japanese singer’s concert was canceled.