Hello Kitty maker Sanrio apologises, ends collaboration with Japanese spy drama after backlash

Sanrio, the creator of the beloved Hello Kitty character, has apologized for its partnership with the Japanese spy drama Vivant after facing criticism from Chinese media. The company acknowledged that the content of the collaboration featured expressions that were "inconsistent" with its corporate philosophy and decided to end all related activities, including future developments and promotional efforts.

Sanrio has long been known for its cherished values like "compassion" and "connection" through its characters since its founding. The Japanese spy drama, produced by TBS, revolves around a fictional, unofficial intelligence unit of Japan's Self-Defence Forces that operates abroad. The show's second season has come under fire from Chinese media for presenting Chinese intelligence agents torturing Japanese operatives.

Responding to the controversy, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that the TV drama "once again shows that there is a force in Japan continuously seeking to use cultural products to vilify and smear China and disseminate hatred against China." Additionally, a state-run Global Times article called Vivant "no ordinary Japanese drama" and accused it of "deliberately distorting the truth and reversing black and white," portraying Japanese atrocities against Chinese people as acts of the Chinese side.