Sanrio, the maker of Hello Kitty, has canceled a collaboration with a Japanese television spy series after criticism from the CCP over the fictional show’s negative depiction of China. This is one of several recent incidents in which companies have rushed to distance themselves from content that displeases the CCP. It is terrible to see companies cave to the CCP’s economic pressure at the expense of their own values. This is another warning to companies doing business with China: doing business with the CCP comes at a cost of your freedom to speak, operate, and stand by your values.

I love all the Sanrio details that are scattered about @figma rn... (I'm just finding out about all these things today, same as y'all) Peep my favs here:

Hello Kitty maker Sanrio has cancelled a collaboration with a Japanese TV spy show after a backlash in China, the second incident in days to highlight the tightrope foreign firms and celebrities must walk in the lucrative market

Japan’s Sanrio, owner of popular characters including Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll and My Melody, has terminated its collaboration with Japanese TV drama VIVANT following backlash on Chinese social media. In a statement, Sanrio apologized for the concerns caused, saying some content related to the collaboration did not align with its corporate philosophy.