China Cancels Japanese Concerts As Taiwan Tensions Escalate

Japanese jazz legend Yoshio Suzuki and his band were in the middle of a sound check for a long-awaited concert in Beijing on Thursday when plain-clothes police arrived and abruptly shut down the performance. The cancellation, according to organisers, was part of a wider order from authorities suspending all concerts featuring Japanese artists across China.

“After less than a minute, the venue owner came to me and said the police told him all concerts with Japanese people are cancelled and there is no discussion,” said Christian Petersen-Clausen, a Norwegian concert promoter based in China. Suzuki, an 80-year-old bassist, had spent months securing performance visas for his tour and was said to be “crushed” by the news.

The incident marks the latest escalation in a growing diplomatic rift