Ministry Minutes | China calls for vigilance concerning anti-China sentiment in Japanese cultural products

China urges vigilance against tendencies in Japan to smear China and spread anti-Chinese sentiment through cultural products, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

The view of Sanrio Gift Gate, an officially licensed Sanrio merchandise store, in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, on March 2, 2026. (Photo: VCG)

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a routine press conference in Beijing in response to Japanese company Sanrio ending its partnership with a Japanese TV drama over the negative depiction of a Chinese character.

"The drama once again exposes that forces in Japan continue to attempt to vilify China and spread anti-Chinese sentiment through cultural products," Guo said, adding that such actions call for vigilance from the international community and insightful figures in Japan.