Sanrio, the Hello Kitty company, has terminated its commercial partnership with the Japanese TV series Vivant, following strong criticism received from China. The second season of the thriller, released in July, sparked outrage over its depiction of Chinese agents using brutal torture on a Japanese operative. The protests came from Chinese state media and social media users.

The Japanese company apologized and explained the end of the collaboration, stating that the program contained “elements inconsistent with Sanrio’s core values”. On Wednesday, Sanrio promised to strengthen future review processes, reiterating its commitment to harmony, as reported by BBC News.

The episode fits into the growing diplomatic tensions between China and Japan, which are at an all-time low. Last November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had suggested a possible self-defense intervention in Taiwan. These statements provoked a harsh reaction from Beijing, which intensified pressure on Tokyo.

The Chinese Global Times criticized Sanrio on Wednesday, arguing that Hello Kitty should not associate with “anti-China” content. On Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry indicated the incident as a warning. The president of Vivant's TBS network declared the show fictitious and without denigrating intentions, as specified by BBC News.