HONG KONG: Pop star Fujii Kaze has become the latest Japanese act to cancel his show in Hong Kong, amid ongoing tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.
No reasons were given for the cancellation. A check on the singer’s official website on Thursday (Apr 23) simply stated: “Show in Hong Kong has been cancelled”.
Hong Kong had originally been listed as one of the stops as part of his world tour this year, according to the South China Morning Post.
Kaze previously staged two concerts in Hong Kong in December 2024 at the AsiaWorld-Arena.
The Prema World Tour is set to kick off on Oct 31 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan – followed by shows in Japan, Thailand and South Korea. There are no scheduled stops in mainland China.
The tour is also set to expand to Europe and North America in the summer of 2027, with details set to be announced.
The 28-year-old singer-songwriter is the latest Japanese act to cancel performances in Hong Kong at a time when Sino-Japanese relations remain tense.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that the country could intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan – which Beijing claims as its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force.
Beijing responded to Takaichi’s remarks – urging Chinese citizens against travelling to Japan and tightening trade restrictions on some Japanese firms.
Official data showed that Chinese visitor numbers to Japan had plunged 45.2 per cent in February as compared to a year earlier.
“UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES”
Kaze hails from Japan’s Okayama prefecture. His tracks have gained global attention through social media and he also recently made his debut at Coachella 2026.
Veteran Japanese pop star Kumi Koda also cancelled a planned performance at Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld Arena in March – citing “unforeseen circumstances”.
Earlier this month, Japanese rock band One Ok Rock cancelled two planned shows in Hong Kong – scheduled for May 2 and May 3 – also citing “unforeseen circumstances that were outside of the control of the artist and the organisers”, according to a statement issued by Live Nation Hong Kong on Apr 9.
“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, these issues could not be resolved, and the shows can no longer go ahead,” the statement read.
The band have performed in other destinations like South Korea, the Philippines and Singapore – with upcoming stops in Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Other Japanese acts have cancelled shows in mainland China. A concert in Beijing by Japanese singer-songwriter Akiko Yoshida, who performs under the stage name “Kokia” was cancelled last November.
Japanese jazz musician Yoshio Suzuki pulled the plug on a show in Beijing originally planned for Nov 19.
Other events have also been affected. A two-day Japanese pop culture and anime festival was slated to take place on Feb 14 and Feb 15 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre but was cancelled.