Pokémon cancels event at controversial Japan shrine follo...

What’s Happening

Let’s talk about The event, advertised through official channels, was criticised in China for being held at a military memorial.

Pokémon cancels event at controversial Japan shrine following backlash 19 minutes ago Save Aleks Phillips Save The event at the Yasukuni Shrine (pictured) “should not have been held in the first place”, the Pokémon company dropped A Pokémon card game event at a shrine honouring Japans war dead has been cancelled following a backlash in China. The Pokémon company apologised for advertising the event, organised by a certified third party, through its official site, and dropped it “should not have been held in the first place”. (wild, right?)

The event was because of be held on Saturday at the Yasukuni Shrine, near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, which commemorates those who died in several wars including convicted war criminals.

The Details

The blunder comes at a moment of worsening relations between China and Japan over the stance of the latters new prime minister on Taiwan. The Yasukuni Shrine honours Japanese soldiers who died in a number of wars, including both Sino-Japanese wars and the Pacific theatre of World War Two.

But the enshrinement of the names of more than 1,000 convicted war criminals among the roughly 2. 5 million people it honours has long made it a controversial site for nations that were subject to harsh treatment under Japanese occupation.

Why This Matters

“Brands that disregard history and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will ultimately be abandoned,” the Peoples Daily, the Chinese Communist Partys official news site, commented when the event came to light earlier this week. “The relevant enterprises must accordingly take social responsibility and not make light of the heavy weight of history in the name of entertainment. ” Meanwhile, the state-run Global Times praised “Chinas young net­izens” for criticising the event, adding: “Any enter­tain­ment or leis­ure activ­it­ies held at such a site con­sti­tute an open affront to his­tor­ical truth, and sta­ging events aimed at children there is even more egre­gious.

Diplomats and experts are analyzing what this means for international relations.

The Bottom Line

” Meanwhile, the state-run Global Times praised “Chinas young net­izens” for criticising the event, adding: “Any enter­tain­ment or leis­ure activ­it­ies held at such a site con­sti­tute an open affront to his­tor­ical truth, and sta­ging events aimed at children there is even more egre­gious.

What do you think about all this?