Japan movie releases postponed in China after Taiwan row

The releases of at least two popular Japanese films have been postponed in China as the countries are locked in a dispute over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks about Taiwan.

The delayed releases include Cells at Work! and Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers, Chinese state media CCTV said.

Cinema tickets are still available in China for the hit Japanese animation Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, the BBC has confirmed, but CCTV said sales had fallen in recent days as the row deepened.

Takaichi, who has been a vocal critic of China and its activities in the region, suggested earlier this month that Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan.

Film distributors and importers have decided to postpone the releases after assessing the overall outlook of Japanese films in China and the sentiment among Chinese audiences, said CCTV on Monday.

Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers, which is an animated comedy about the adventures of a young boy and his friends, was due to be released in the coming weeks.

Cells at Work! – which has also seen its release postponed – is a live action movie based on a manga about human blood cells fighting off viruses.

CCTV did not say how long the films’ releases will be delayed for.

The state-controlled media outlet said Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has faced “strong dissatisfaction among Chinese audiences” in the wake Takaichi’s remarks.

The BBC has contacted the films’ distributors, including Japanese media giant Toho.

Takaichi said in the Japanese parliament on 7 November: “If there are battleships and the use of force, no matter how you think about it, it could constitute a survival-threatening situation.”

Beijing has since urged its citizens to avoid travel to Japan and told students to reconsider studying there, citing safety risks.

Japanese tourism, airline and retail stocks fell sharply as investors weighed the impact of the China’s response.

China is a key source of tourists travelling to Japan, with almost 7.5m visitors in the first nine months of this year.

Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will, in time, be part of the country. China has not ruled out the use of force to achieve this goal.

But many Taiwanese consider themselves to be part of a separate nation – although most are in support of keeping the status quo in which Taiwan neither declares independence from China nor unites with it.