Pokemon card event at controversial shrine to Japanese war dead cancelled after China protests

Pokemon card event at Yasukuni Shrine canceled after Chinese protests, highlighting rising tensions between Japan and China.

A Pokemon card game event planned for Saturday (January 31, 2026) at a controversial shrine to Japan's war dead has been cancelled and the Pokemon Company apologised for posting an event notice on its website following a backlash from China, as tensions between the two sides escalated.

The Yasukuni Shrine honours Japan's 2.5 million war dead, including convicted war criminals. Countries that were targets of Japanese aggression, especially China and the Koreas, see visits to the shrine as showing a lack of remorse about Japan's wartime past.

The event attracted a sharp response from Chinese state media, where editorials cited angry comments trending on social media. China's social media environment is highly censored, and the government has a large role in what topics are allowed to trend.

“Brands that disregard history and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will ultimately be abandoned by the market,” said the People's Daily, the Communist Party's official mouthpiece, on its Weibo.

“The relevant enterprises must accordingly take social responsibility and not make light of the heavy weight of history in the name of entertainment.”

The Pokemon Company, an affiliate of Japanese game maker Nintendo, issued an apology in both Japanese and Chinese, saying the event had been privately planned by a certified Pokemon card player for children, but its information was shared on the company's official website.