From kimonos to canceled festivals, Japanese culture faces growing hostility across China
Anti-Japanese sentiment runs deep in China, where an intensifying nationalism has also emerged as Beijing clashes with the Western alliance of which Japan is a member.
Yusuke Otomo, the owner of Daikichi kimono rental shop, brings a traditional Japanese umbrella for a prop during a photo session of his customers at the shop Wednesday, June 22, 2022, in Tokyo's Asakusa area famous for sightseeing. Japan is bracing for a return of tourists from abroad, as border controls to curb the spread of coronavirus infections are gradually loosened. Otomo can barely contain his excitement. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) (Hiro Komae, Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Anti-Japanese hatred appears to be on the rise in China, as the neighbors look to mark a half-century since the normalization of diplomatic ties between Beijing and Tokyo later this month.
The public mood in China has turned against even small signs of Japanese culture in the country in recent weeks, from a woman wearing a kimono to conventions for fans of anime.
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Anti-Japanese sentiment runs deep in China, where an intensifying nationalism has also emerged as Beijing clashes with the Western alliance of which Japan is a member. Many resent the refusal of Japan’s government to apologize for war crimes during the Sino-Japanese wars and its leaders’ repeated visits to shrines commemorating Japanese war criminals.
