2 hours ago · Japan
Hello Kitty owner Sanrio scraps Japanese TV show Vivant deal over China backlash
What's happening
SignalsMonitor is following this as a general story. South China Morning Post Asia and BBC Business are the outlets attached to this story. The reports are tied to Japan. The first report grouped here was at 29 Oct 2026, 03:16 UTC. 3 material updates are listed in the timeline. The headline in use is “Hello Kitty owner Sanrio scraps Japanese TV show Vivant deal over China backlash”. This note is SignalsMonitor's own briefing, not the publisher's article.
What we know
Japanese character company Sanrio, owner of popular IPs including Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll and My Melody, has terminated its planned collaboration with the television drama Vivant following strong public criticism in China. In an official statement released late on Wednesday evening, the company acknowledged that the Japanese spy drama contained content…
Story timeline
Reports grouped into this story, earliest first. Exact repeats from the same outlet are collapsed.
- First reported by BBC Business
Hello Kitty maker ends collab with Japanese spy drama after backlash in China
- Picked up by BBC Business
Hello Kitty maker cuts ties with Japanese spy drama after China backlash
- New development reported by South China Morning Post Asia
Hello Kitty owner Sanrio scraps Japanese TV show Vivant deal over China backlash
Same story, different outlets
2 headlinesEach line is that outlet's headline. The article stays on the publisher's site.