An exhibition featuring Studio Ghibli animation films and works by director Hayao Miyazaki in southern China has been postponed, the organizer said earlier this week, as a Sino-Japanese diplomatic row over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan intensifies.
The event was scheduled to open on Dec. 25 in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, and run through October next year.
The organizer said Monday on Chinese social media, “We look forward to seeing you again in the near future,” without revealing why the exhibition would not open as planned.
A similar event featuring Studio Ghibli productions was held in Shanghai last year. Animation movies by Miyazaki, an Oscar-winning director, are popular in China.
The ongoing tensions between the two Asian neighbors stem from Takaichi’s remarks last month suggesting Japan could deploy its defense forces to support the U.S. military in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing.
The dispute has affected the Japanese entertainment industry, with many concerts and performances by artists canceled in China.
Among them are performances by singer Ayumi Hamasaki, whose show scheduled for Jan. 10 in Macao was called off. Her Shanghai performance in late November was also cancelled at the last minute.
