Sanrio, the Japanese company behind the globally popular Hello Kitty character, has ended its collaboration with the Japanese spy thriller Vivant following a backlash in China over the drama’s portrayal of Chinese intelligence agents.
The controversy centres on Vivant, which was slammed in Chinese state media and by Chinese social media users for its depiction of Chinese agents using brutal torture tactics on a Japanese operative.
It attracted criticism in China for depicting a fictional Chinese intelligence agency involved in the capture and torture of Japanese operatives.
Sanrio said it terminated its collaboration with Vivant after determining that it “contained elements inconsistent with Sanrio’s core values.”
“Since its inception, Sanrio has consistently used its characters to convey values such as care and connection, and remains committed to its corporate philosophy of fostering harmony among all people,” Sanrio said.
The backlash comes after China-Japan ties plunged to their lowest in years, following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan, sparking a diplomatic conflict.
Sanrio apologized for the partnership, stating that the elements of the collaboration were inconsistent with its corporate philosophy, which emphasized care, connection and harmony.
Hello Kitty is not the only international figure to have faced such wrath in China in recent days; several Chinese brands have also faced backlash, including one that dropped French footballer Kylian Mbappe over comments about the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, which he apologized for.
Sanrio’s withdrawal does not mean that Hello Kitty is being terminated, nor does it mean it signal the end of the character’s broader licensing and merchandising activities; it means the decision concerns the company’s partnership with Vivant and the associated promotional projects.
