A planned Pokémon trading card tournament at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine has been abruptly canceled following significant backlash from China and subsequent apologies from The Pokémon Company. The event, organized by a third-party vendor but promoted on the official Pokémon website, was scheduled to take place at the controversial shrine that honors Japan’s war dead—including convicted war criminals from World War II.
The Pokémon Company issued a formal statement on Friday acknowledging the incident as a serious oversight. ‘The event should not have been held in the first place,’ the company declared, attributing the promotional error to ‘a lack of due diligence.’ The statement continued: ‘After the incident was discovered, the event was promptly cancelled. We sincerely apologise for the various reactions and opinions that have been generated.’
Yasukuni Shrine remains a deeply contentious symbol in East Asia. While it memorializes approximately 2.5 million Japanese war casualties, its inclusion of over 1,000 individuals convicted of war crimes by Allied tribunals has made it a recurring flashpoint in international relations, particularly with China and South Korea.
The cancellation occurs against a backdrop of deteriorating Sino-Japanese relations. Recent tensions escalated following comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November suggesting Tokyo could deploy its Self-Defense Forces should China attack Taiwan. Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has not ruled out using force to achieve unification.
Chinese state media responded vehemently to the planned Pokémon event. The People’s Daily, official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, warned that ‘brands that disregard history and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will ultimately be abandoned.’ The Global Times, another state-run publication, praised Chinese netizens for their criticism, calling events at the shrine ‘an open affront to historical truth.’
The diplomatic strain has already impacted cultural exchanges, with two Japanese film releases postponed in China and both governments issuing travel advisories. The Pokémon Company has committed to strengthening its approval processes to prevent similar incidents, highlighting how entertainment brands navigate complex historical and political landscapes in global markets.