At around 1 PM on October 29th, Sanrio's Japanese official website issued a Japanese apology statement, announcing the termination of its joint partnership with the anti-China Japanese drama "VIVANT".
Observer Network found that the specific content of the Japanese official statement is consistent with the Chinese version published on Chinese platforms the previous day. Both statements mention that the cooperation with "VIVANT" does not align with the concepts of SuguRo Group. The group has decided to stop any further joint projects and promotional activities. It also emphasizes that it will strengthen the review mechanisms for joint activities in the future, and will seriously consider and take into account opinions from all parties regarding this incident.
Sanrio (Shanghai) staff revealed to Observer Network that they have completely terminated their joint partnership with "VIVANT". An internal team has been formed to handle this matter urgently.
Regarding the controversy over the inconsistent release times of the Chinese and Japanese statements, Sanrio explained that both statements were originally planned to be released simultaneously. However, delays in the process prevented this from happening: the Chinese company released the statement late at night on the 28th, while the Japanese headquarters processed and released it "at the fastest speed" on the morning of the 29th.
Japanese media reported earlier that the related product pages on Japan's TBS official shopping website (TBS Shopping) are now unavailable.
Sanex, a professional translator, confirmed to Observer Network that the related products have been completely removed from sale in Japan, and there are no plans to launch or promote them in China. They also stated that the Japanese headquarters places great importance on this matter. In addition to issuing a apology statement in both Chinese and Japanese, they have also removed products related to the collaboration with "VIVANT" launched in 2023 from sale.
Public information shows that this joint initiative was announced by Japanese TBS TV station in June this year, and related products were launched gradually in July. The popular characters under Sanrio, such as Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Snoopy, were combined with the brand 'VIVANT' to create dolls, keychains, and other related products.
Sanrio stated, “Although its collaboration with ‘VIVANT’ began during the first season of the show, Sanrio realized that the content of ‘VIVANT’ had deviated from the company’s long-standing philosophy of harmonious coexistence among all people.”
Regarding whether the content of the related series was reviewed before this joint venture, Sanex stated that this collaboration only involved the company's planning and approval for merchandise featuring characters from the first season and Sanex logos. It did not involve co-creating the series content with the show's production team. "We were not involved in the filming or production of the television series, and we had no knowledge of the plot content beforehand."
Sanrio (Shanghai) staff added that the Chinese company was unaware of this joint venture in advance. Upon learning about it, they immediately reported to their Japanese headquarters and suspended the related cooperation.
According to a report by Observer Network, recently, the second season of the popular TBS TV series "VIVANT," featuring a top Japanese celebrity, caused strong outrage on the Internet for deliberately slandering China and perpetuating the 'China threat theory.' Against this backdrop, the joint product launched by Japan's Sanrio Company and the series has once again attracted widespread attention.
As a brand labeled with 'cute' and 'healing' elements, and carrying the concept of peace, Sanrio has been deeply associated with a controversial drama series that undermines China's image and distorts history. This has caused shock and strong disapproval among social media users. Many Chinese and Japanese netizens have criticized Sanrio for abandoning its long-standing anti-war ideals.
Late at night on October 28th, Sanrio issued a apology statement ahead of Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo and REDnote, announcing the termination of the related partnership.
The statement indicates that regarding the controversial "VIVANT" collaborative product, the company has recently received opinions from various parties and expresses deep apologies for the public concerns caused by this situation. The company believes that the content of this collaboration contains expressions that do not align with the corporate philosophy of the Sanrio Group, and has decided to stop this collaboration as well as all subsequent projects and promotional activities. Currently, corresponding measures are being taken to address the issue.
The statement emphasizes that since its establishment, Sanrio has always conveyed values such as "care" and "connection" through its characters, and has been committed to practicing the corporate philosophy of "harmonious coexistence for everyone." Under the vision of "One World, Connecting Smiles," Sanrio hopes to bring smiles to more people and extend the circle of happiness to every corner of the world.
Sanrio also stated that they will seriously listen to and take into account opinions from all parties regarding this incident. In the future, when carrying out joint cooperation projects, they will further strengthen relevant review mechanisms.
