Chinese state media said the distributor had made the “wise” decision to postpone the release after considering viewer sentiment.
Published November 18, 2025
A Chinese film distributor has canceled the release of two Japanese animated films as diplomatic tensions over Taiwan intensify.
Crayon Shin-chan movie is super hot! Cells at work with Spicy Kasukabe Dancers! Chinese state broadcaster CCTV announced on Tuesday that the film would not be shown in mainland China as originally planned.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
The move comes as relations between Japan and China are at their lowest ebb in years after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that Tokyo could intervene militarily if China attempts to take control of Taiwan.
CCTV said the distributor made the “wise” decision to postpone the release considering the overall market performance of Japanese films and “Chinese audience sentiment.”
CCTV reported that film distributors said it was inevitable that Gaoichi’s “provocative statements” would affect Chinese audiences’ perception of Japanese films, adding that the two companies would “follow market forces and respect audience preferences” by postponing the release.
Naoise McDonagh, an economic coercion expert at Western Australia’s Edith Cowan University, said the postponement followed a well-worn strategy in Chinese national politics.
“China is typically carefully targeting trade that is not essential to China, but that affects Japanese companies and creates both financial costs and symbolic pressure,” McDonough told Al Jazeera.
Such incidents allow Beijing to signal that parties that act against its interests will pay a price, and “give China some influence over the decision-making processes of other governments that affect China’s red lines,” McDonough said.
The film’s postponement follows a series of retaliatory measures by the Chinese government in response to Takaichi’s comments, including warning its citizens against traveling to Japan and sending warships to waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands.
Japan issued its own travel advisory for China on Monday, warning its citizens to respect local customs, avoid crowded places and be careful when interacting with Chinese people.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a regular press conference on Tuesday that the recommendations were based on each country’s “social situation” and that the latest statement reflected recent reports on tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.
Kihara also said the Japanese government was taking an “open stance” regarding dialogue with China, after Beijing announced that Chinese Premier Li Qiang would not meet with Takaichi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa this weekend.
Kihara made the comments as Japan’s chief executive for Asia-Pacific affairs, Masaaki Kanai, met in Beijing on Tuesday with his Chinese counterpart, Liu Jinsong, to calm tensions between the two countries.
China considers autonomous Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to “unify” the island with mainland China by force if necessary.
Japan is concerned about China’s attitude toward Taiwan, as the island is close to Japanese territory and located in waters where a large amount of trade takes place.
China insists that countries must not formally recognize Taiwan in order to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing. Although most countries have complied with China’s demands, many maintain economic and semi-official diplomatic relations with Taipei.
