TOKYO, Nov 20 — Aespa are facing an unexpected wave of backlash in Japan after more than 70,000 people signed an online petition demanding the K-pop group be removed from one of the country’s biggest year-end shows.
The petition, filed Monday, urges Japan’s national broadcaster NHK to cancel the group’s scheduled performance at the iconic Red and White Singing Contest, citing concerns over the inclusion of Aespa’s Chinese member, Ningning. The annual programme is a cornerstone of Japanese holiday TV, drawing tens of millions of viewers.
According to The Korea Herald, the petition claims Aespa’s appearance could “damage Japan’s image” and offend those affected by historical tragedies. It also asks the public to support the call for NHK to suspend the quartet’s participation.
Industry watchers told the paper that the uproar underscores simmering diplomatic unease between Japan and China.
Ties between the two nations cooled further after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently remarked that Japan’s Self-Defence Forces could intervene if China attacked Taiwan — a statement that rippled across East Asia’s political landscape.
Against this backdrop, an old post by Ningning resurfaced and ignited renewed criticism.
In May 2022, the singer shared a photo of a lamp shaped like an atomic bomb on Bubble, a paid messaging platform used by K-pop idols.
“I bought a pretty light ~~~ how is it?” she wrote at the time.
Ningning’s 2022 Bubble post that resurfaced recently, reigniting backlash in Japan.
Some Japanese fans viewed the item as insensitive, given the history of the Hiroshima bombing.
Commentators noted that Ningning hails from Harbin, a region once under Japanese occupation from 1932 to 1945, and suggested this may have shaped online interpretations of her post.
NHK said it is aware of the controversy and has checked with Aespa’s agency, SM Entertainment, confirming through Japanese media reports that the singer did not intend to belittle atomic bomb victims. SM Entertainment has declined to issue further comment.
The backlash isn’t limited to Aespa.
The Korea Herald also reported that JO1, the popular 11-member boy band formed through Produce 101 Japan, abruptly cancelled a fan meeting this week.
Hong Kong outlet Sing Tao Daily stated the event, scheduled for Wednesday via China’s QQ Music, was called off due to “unavoidable circumstances,” though neither the platform nor the group’s agency provided details.
JO1 is currently managed by Lapone Entertainment, a joint venture between Japan’s Yoshimoto Kogyo and South Korea’s CJ ENM.
