Pokemon card event at controversial shrine to Japanese war dead cancelled after China protests

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 Second World War.

TOKYO — A Pokemon card game event planned for Saturday at a controversial shrine to Japan’s war dead has been cancelled and the Pokemon Company apologized for posting an event notice on its website following a backlash from China, as tensions between the two sides escalated.

The Yasukuni Shrine honors Japan’s 2.5 million war dead, including convicted war criminals. Countries that were targets of Japanese aggression, especially China and the Koreas, see visits to the shrine as showing a lack of remorse about Japan’s wartime past.

The event attracted a sharp response from Chinese state media, where editorials cited angry comments trending on social media. China’s social media environment is highly censored, and the government has a large role in what topics are allowed to trend.

“Brands that disregard history and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will ultimately be abandoned by the market,” said the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official mouthpiece, on its Weibo. “The relevant enterprises must accordingly take social responsibility and not make light of the heavy weight of history in the name of entertainment.”

The Pokemon Company, an affiliate of Japanese game maker Nintendo, issued an apology in both Japanese and Chinese, saying the event had been privately planned by a certified Pokemon card player for children, but its information was shared on the company’s official website.

“It was an event that should not have been held to begin with,” the company said, adding that the notice was shared on its website “by mistake because of the lack of our understanding.” The event has been canceled and its information removed from the website, it said.

The company, citing its motto of “connecting the world with Pokemon,” pledged to be considerate to everyone.

Japan faces escalating tensions with China after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made remarks in November suggesting that Japan could become involved if China takes military action against Taiwan, a self-governing island Beijing claims as its own. A furious China has imposed economic and diplomatic retribution.

Takaichi used to be a Yasukuni regular, though she has not prayed at the shrine since taking office in October.

Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press

AP Writer Huizhong Wu in Bangkok contributed to this report.