A Japanese Singer Suddenly Stopped Singing at Chinese Event and was Forced to Leave Stage

SHANGHAI, Nov 28, 2025―The opening day of the Bandai Namco Festival 2025, a live set by Japanese artist Maki Otsuki was suddenly interrupted mid-song. Performances reportedly stopped — lighting and sound were cut off without warning, plunging the stage into darkness.

Multiple angles of the incident have emerged on Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo and Bilibili, and the footage has since circulated widely on X as well.

Eyewitness reports say Otsuki was singing a song from ONE PIECE when stage lights and audio abruptly shut off. She looked stunned as two staff members climbed onto the stage, and was then escorted off amid visible confusion — all captured on video.

Shortly thereafter, the festival organisers — Bandai Namco Holdings — announced on their official social-media channel that the remaining performances scheduled for November 29 and 30 would be cancelled, citing “various circumstances.” “We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this causes our fans,” the statement read.

Otsuki’s agency also issued a message confirming the abrupt suspension: “Although the November 28th set had started, due to unavoidable circumstances the performance was forced to stop. The subsequent November 29 appearance is also cancelled under the same situation.”

Observers note that this incident joins a growing list of recent cancellations of events featuring Japanese artists in mainland China — a trend some attribute to the escalating political tensions between the two countries following remarks by Japanese government officials.