Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 21 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
69/100
BBC News's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
- Published
Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty, has apologised and ended its merchandise partnership with a controversial Japanese TV show after drawing backlash in China.
asserted
Sanrio → publish → China
Vivant, a popular spy thriller, has been widely slammed in Chinese state media and by Chinese social media users for its depiction of Chinese agents using brutal torture tactics on a Japanese operative.
asserted
Vivant → slam → operative
The criticism has extended to the internationally beloved Hello Kitty and her friends, including My Melody and Cinnamoroll, who were featured in merchandise dressed as characters from the show.
asserted
who → extend → show
Sanrio said it terminated its collaboration with Vivant after determining that it "contained elements inconsistent with Sanrio's core values".
asserted
it → say → values
"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," Sanrio said in the statement late on Wednesday.
asserted
Sanrio → use → Wednesday
"We take the feedback we have received regarding this incident very seriously.
asserted
we → take → incident
Moving forward, we will strengthen our review processes for all future collaborative projects.
asserted
we → move → projects
"
China-Japan ties have plunged to their lowest point in years, since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan last November sparked a diplomatic firestorm.
asserted
comments → plunge → firestorm
Responding to a question in parliament, Takaichi suggested that Japan would activate its self-defence force if China attacked Taiwan.
uncertain
China → respond → Taiwan
Beijing has since been heaping pressure on Tokyo, from restricting rare earth exports to curbing tourism and even reclaiming its pandas.
asserted
Beijing → heap → pandas
Takaichi told parliament earlier this month that she had recorded episodes of Vivant and planned to watch them over the year-end holidays.
asserted
she → tell → holidays
State-run Global Times took aim at Sanrio on Wednesday, saying the hugely popular cat character "should not dance with Japan's right wing".
asserted
character → run → wing
Sanrio "stands to lose far more than short-term sales" by collaborating with "anti-China content", the Global Times article said.
asserted
article → stand → content
"The trust and emotional bond it has built up over a long time will also suffer."
asserted
it → build → time
Hello Kitty is not the only internationally beloved figure to have face such wrath in China in recent days.
asserted
Kitty → face → days
Earlier this week, several Chinese brands dropped French footballer Kylian Mbappé over comments he had made about late Chinese leader Mao Zedong - which he has since apologised for.
asserted
he → drop → which
Vivant is about a Japanese salaryman who finds himself entangled in an international web of crime and espionage.
asserted
himself → find → crime
Its first season, which aired in 2023, was set in a fictional Central Asian country.
asserted
which → air → country
Its second season, which premiered in July, features Chinese agents torturing a Japanese spy by cutting his fingers and stabbing his abdomen.
asserted
agents → premier → abdomen
Chinese state outlets, including CCTV, argued that these tactics "highly overlap" with those historically used by Japanese troops against the Chinese, and that the drama "distorts the truth".
asserted
drama → include → truth
Masamine Ryuho, the president of Vivant's TV network TBS, said on Wednesday that the show was completely fictional and had no intentions of "disparaging any particular country".
asserted
show → say → country
The Aporia
