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2d ago

Pokémon Cancels Yasukuni Shrine Card Event After Chinese Backlash

The company apologized, citing a mistaken listing of a certified player’s private children’s gathering.

FILE- In this Sept. 8, 1999 file photo, a selection of Pokemon trading cards are displayed in Scituate, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, file)
FILE -People wait in queue before reaching to the front to pray at the main hall at Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 15, 2024, as the country marks the 79th anniversary of its defeat in the World War II. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)
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Overview

  • The planned Tokyo event for Saturday at Yasukuni Shrine was scrapped after criticism from Chinese state media and online commentators.
  • The Pokémon Company said the notice was posted in error, calling it an event that should not have been held and removing the listing from its website.
  • An apology was issued in Japanese and Chinese, with a pledge to be considerate and a nod to its motto of connecting the world with Pokémon.
  • China’s People’s Daily warned that brands seen as disregarding history would be rejected by the market, as tightly managed social media amplified anger.
  • Yasukuni honors 2.5 million war dead, including convicted war criminals, a long-running flashpoint that has gained added sensitivity as Japan–China tensions rose following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan-related remarks in November.