Sanrio confirmed Thursday that it is ending a merchandise collaboration with Japanese spy drama “Vivant” after Chinese state media accused the hit television series of vilifying China.
A day earlier, Sanrio (Shanghai) International Trade, a subsidiary of the Japanese company behind the popular Hello Kitty and My Melody characters, issued an apology on Hello Kitty’s official Weibo account.
“We deeply apologize for the concerns this has caused,” the company said, adding that the collaboration content included “expressions inconsistent with the Sanrio Group’s corporate philosophy.”
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