Escalating Sino-Japanese Conflict... Petition Against aespa Emerges in Japan

Due to a sudden change in national circumstances, aespa has found itself in an awkward position.

Recently, the Japanese Prime Minister has expressed a stance of 'intervention in case of emergency' regarding China, deepening the conflict between Japan and China. Amidst this, a peculiar phenomenon has occurred where a petition against Chinese individuals active in the Korean entertainment industry has emerged in Japan.

The target of this petition is Ningning, a member of the group aespa (aespa, Giselle, Karina, Winter, Ningning). When news broke that aespa would appear on Japan's year-end special program 'Kōhaku Uta Gassen', a post opposing Ningning's appearance was uploaded to an online petition in Japan. The post cited Ningning's Chinese nationality and her past acknowledgment of lighting reminiscent of a 'mushroom cloud' as reasons for the opinion that a celebrity who views the atomic bomb positively should not appear.

While some voices have raised that there is no problem with Ningning's appearance, it has been reported that the petition has garnered over 50,000 signatures, drawing attention. The broadcasting station NHK, which conducts 'Kōhaku Uta Gassen', announced that they confirmed through dialogue with the agency that there is no intention of trivializing or mocking the atomic bomb by the artist, thus concluding the situation.