"China-Japan Tensions? Can't Resist Pokemon"... Young Chinese Show Love for Japanese Anime

Japanese Anime Events Thrive Despite China-Japan Tensions
Culture Consumption Remains Separate from Political and Diplomatic Disputes

Despite the prolonged conflict between China and Japan, Japanese animation continues to enjoy strong popularity in China. The growing number of young Chinese who prefer Japanese pop culture, along with a spreading sentiment that separates cultural consumption from bilateral tensions, are cited as the main reasons.

On the 2nd, citizens were waiting in line to register for entry near the 'Pokemon Secret Forest' event venue at Seoul Forest in Seongdong-gu. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

On May 7, Japanese media outlet Yomiuri Shimbun reported, "Japanese animation-related events remain popular even as China-Japan relations worsen."

According to the report, on May 1, when the Labor Day holiday began in China, an event related to the anime 'Pokemon' was held in a park in central Shanghai. The venue saw a steady stream of families taking photos in front of a statue of Pikachu, a popular character from Pokemon.

Zhang Jie, a 35-year-old IT professional who visited the event with his family, told Yomiuri, "I don't care about the deterioration in China-Japan relations," adding, "What I like is what I like, and Pokemon is irreplaceable."

China-Japan relations rapidly deteriorated last November after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi mentioned the possibility of Japan intervening in the event of a Taiwan contingency. Subsequently, concerts by Japanese singers that were scheduled to be held at major venues in China were canceled one after another.

However, small-scale Japanese cultural events related to animation continue to be held.

In Beijing, at the end of last month, a store and cafe selling merchandise related to the Japanese manga magazine 'Weekly Shonen Jump' opened and have become popular. In a department store in Shanghai, a pop-up store themed on the anime Anpanman has also been in operation since last month.

Wang Meiyu, a 38-year-old software engineer who visited the Shanghai store, said, "I hope the two countries' relations will improve as soon as possible."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.