K-pop girl group aespa has been pulled into the deepening diplomatic dispute between China and Japan as a growing number of Japanese viewers are calling for the removal of Chinese member Ningning from NHK’s year-end music program, “Kohaku Uta Gassen.”
A petition posted on Monday to Change.org is urging broadcaster NHK to cancel aespa’s scheduled appearance. The petition quickly gained momentum, surpassing 70,000 signatures within two days.
Supporters argue that Ningning’s past social media post — where she shared a backstage photo featuring a decorative light that some critics said resembled a nuclear mushroom cloud — shows “a lack of historical awareness.”
“‘Kohaku’ is an important national broadcast,” one commenter wrote, insisting that allowing her to perform would “hurt the victims of Hiroshima.” Another said, “Someone who praised a mushroom cloud-shaped light should not appear on a program watched by the whole country.”
Ningning’s post from 2022 previously sparked criticism in Japan but did not lead to formal complaints. However, this year’s petition comes amid heightened political tension following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks suggesting possible military involvement in a Taiwan conflict.
Beijing condemned the statement as interference and has since tightened restrictions on Japanese travel, cultural content and entertainment releases.
Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily reported that aespa has become “one of the most visible cultural victims” of the standoff, noting that whether the group ultimately performs could serve as a “signal of the diplomatic atmosphere.”
This article is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.