TOKYO, Oct 29 — Hello Kitty has become an unlikely casualty of worsening China-Japan tensions, with her creator Sanrio apologising and cutting ties with a hit Japanese spy drama over its depiction of Chinese agents torturing a Japanese operative.

The entertainment giant scrapped its merchandise collaboration with Vivant following a fierce backlash in China, where state media and social media users accused the series of distorting history and vilifying the country.

The controversy erupted over merchandise featuring Hello Kitty and fellow Sanrio favourites My Melody and Cinnamoroll dressed as characters from the spy thriller, turning an innocent-looking crossover into a political flashpoint.

But the seemingly innocent crossover became a political flashpoint after scenes from the show’s second season depicted Chinese intelligence agents torturing a Japanese operative.

According to the BBC, Sanrio’s Chinese subsidiary apologised yesterday and announced that the collaboration had been terminated after determining that the drama “contained elements inconsistent with Sanrio’s core values”.

“Since its inception, Sanrio has consistently used its characters to convey values such as care and connection, and remains committed to its corporate philosophy of fostering harmony among all people,” the company said.

“We take the feedback we have received regarding this incident very seriously. Moving forward, we will strengthen our review processes for all future collaborative projects.”

The backlash centres on the second season of Vivant, which premiered in July and features Chinese agents cutting a Japanese spy’s fingers and stabbing him in the abdomen.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV condemned the scenes, arguing that the torture methods “highly overlap” with those historically used by Japanese troops against Chinese people.

The broadcaster accused the drama of distorting history by portraying Chinese characters as perpetrators of such violence.

State-run newspaper Global Times also criticised Sanrio, declaring that Hello Kitty “should not dance with Japan’s right wing”.

The newspaper warned that Sanrio “stands to lose far more than short-term sales” through its association with what it described as “anti-China content”.

“The trust and emotional bond it has built up over a long time will also suffer,” it added.

First broadcast in 2023, Vivant follows a Japanese salaryman who becomes entangled in an international conspiracy involving crime and espionage.

TBS, the Japanese broadcaster behind the series, has defended the production.

Its president, Masamine Ryuho, said yesterday that Vivant was entirely fictional and had no intention of “disparaging any particular country”.

The row comes amid increasingly strained relations between Beijing and Tokyo following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks about Taiwan last November.

Takaichi suggested during a parliamentary exchange that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response, triggering a diplomatic confrontation.

Beijing has since stepped up pressure on Tokyo through measures including restrictions on rare earth exports, curbs on tourism and the return of pandas from Japan.

Takaichi told parliament earlier this month that she had recorded episodes of Vivant and intended to watch them during the year-end holidays.

Hello Kitty is not the only internationally recognised figure to have become embroiled in political controversy in China.

Earlier this week, several Chinese brands severed ties with French football star Kylian Mbappé following comments he made about the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong. Mbappé subsequently apologised.