Full Breakdown
Sanrio Terminates Vivant Collaboration Amid Chinese Backlash
By Drooid · · How we work
In this breakdown
01
Core Event
Sanrio, the Japanese company behind Hello Kitty, My Melody and Cinnamoroll, announced on October 28 that it had ended its merchandise partnership with the Japanese spy thriller *Vivant* and cancelled all related promotional activities. The decision followed intense criticism in China over scenes in the drama’s second season that depict Chinese agents torturing a Japanese operative by cutting off his fingers and stabbing his abdomen.
02
Background & Context
*Vivant* premiered its first season in 2023, set in a fictional Central Asian country. The second season began airing in July and introduced a fictional Chinese intelligence agency that carries out the violent torture scenes. Chinese state media, including CCTV and the Global Times, accused the series of “distorting the truth” and of echoing atrocities committed by Japanese forces during World War II. The controversy erupted against a backdrop of strained China-Japan relations after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s November 2025 remarks that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response. Beijing has since imposed export controls on rare-earth minerals and issued travel warnings for Japan.
Visual evidence
Images from the story
03
Data & Statistics
- Sanrio’s China operations generated 781 million yuan (? $117 million) in the first half of 2026, a >40 % year-on-year increase.
- In the first quarter of 2026, Sanrio reported 9.8 billion yen (? $62 million) in Chinese sales, up almost 25 % from the same period a year earlier.
These figures underscore the commercial importance of the Chinese market for the character brand.
04
Official Statements & Responses
Sanrio’s statement on its official Weibo account emphasized its long-standing corporate philosophy of “care and connection” and pledged to strengthen review procedures for future collaborations. The company added that it had not participated in the drama’s production and was unaware of the plot details before the partnership was formed.
05
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources uniformly report Sanrio’s termination of the partnership and the Chinese criticism; no substantive discrepancies were identified regarding the core facts of the event.
06
Verbatim Quotes
- “Since its inception, Sanrio has consistently used its characters to convey values such as care and connection, and remains committed to its corporate philosophy of fostering harmony among all people,” — China. Sanrio, on its official
- “We determined that this collaboration contained expressions that do not align with the Sanrio Group's philosophy, and accordingly, we have decided to suspend this collaboration as well as all subsequent projects and promotional activities.” — China. Sanrio, on its official
- “China is a very important overseas market for Sanrio. In the first half of 2026, Sanrio's sales in the Chinese market increased by 40 percent year-on-year to 781 million yuan (approx. 156 billion KRW). If you value the Chinese market, you must put respect for China into action.” — Global Times
- “In recent years, there has been no shortage of pop culture and art works in Japanese society that package aggressive crimes into passionate stories. Sanrio is neither the first tainted case, nor will it be the last. Sanrio has the responsibility, and the need, to make its stance clear.” — The Global Times
These quotations capture the key positions of Sanrio, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, and the Global Times.