What changed
Sanrio’s Chinese subsidiary cancelled its collaboration with VIVANT on October 29, ending related projects and promotions. The partnership featured Hello Kitty toys dressed as spies from the Japanese TV drama, whose latest season depicts a fictional Chinese intelligence agency capturing and torturing Japanese spies.
Sanrio said the collaboration conflicted with its corporate philosophy and apologised for the concern caused. The decision followed days of criticism on Chinese social media and intensified condemnation from state media.
Why it matters
A television plot became a commercial liability once it was turned into a soft toy. That is the sharp edge for Sanrio: the company is selling cuteness in China while its characters were attached to a drama portraying Chinese intelligence agents in scenes of torture.
The timing makes the calculation harder. China-Japan relations are already strained, with China urging citizens not to travel to Japan and restricting rare-earth exports to the country. Yet China remains an important market for Sanrio. Its first-quarter sales there reached 9.8 billion yen ($62 million), almost 25% higher than a year earlier.
Sanrio has therefore cut one partnership without knowing whether the wider backlash will spread. The immediate compromise is clear: the toys and promotions go, while the broader China business continues. TBS, which produced VIVANT, has said the drama is entirely fictional and was not intended to disparage any specific country.
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