A Pokémon card game event at a shrine honouring Japan's war dead has been cancelled following a backlash in China.
The Pokémon Company apologised for advertising the event, organised by a certified third party, through its official website, and said it should not have been held in the first place.
The event was due to be held on Saturday at the Yasukuni Shrine, near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, which commemorates those who died in several wars including convicted war criminals.
The blunder comes at a moment of worsening relations between China and Japan over the stance of the latter's new prime minister on Taiwan.
The Yasukuni Shrine honours Japanese soldiers who died in a number of wars, including both Sino-Japanese wars and the Pacific theatre of World War Two.
But the enshrinement of the names of over 1,000 convicted war criminals among the roughly 2.5 million people it honours has long made it a controversial site for nations affected by Japan's military history.
Brands that disregard history and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will ultimately be abandoned, commented the People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party's official news site.
Meanwhile, the state-run Global Times praised China's young netizens for criticising the event, stating that holding events at such a site is an affront to historical truth.
The Pokémon Company stated that the event had been posted on its website due to a lack of due diligence and promised to strengthen its approval process to avoid future occurrences.
This incident follows escalating tensions between China and Japan, particularly regarding Taiwan, as new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested a military response could be considered if China attacked the self-governing island.
The cancellation of the Pokémon event highlights the complex interplay between culture, history, and international relations in East Asia.
