Petition to Remove aespa From NHK Kohaku Passes 120,000 Amid China Japan Tensions

More than 120,000 signatures put a national music show under pressure

A petition demanding that Japanese public broadcaster NHK remove K pop group aespa from its New Year's Eve Kohaku Uta Gassen program passed 120,000 signatures in early December. The campaign centers on a 2022 social media post by Ningning, the group's Chinese member, showing a decorative lamp shaped like a mushroom cloud.

As of December 16, 2025, NHK had announced no change to aespa's appearance. Hiroo Yamana, the broadcaster's executive director of media, indicated at a press conference that the announced performers were expected to take part despite the growing campaign.

Petition supporters say the lamp image trivialized the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They argue that inviting aespa onto a prominent national broadcast sends the wrong message, particularly during the 80th anniversary year of the 1945 attacks and a period of strained relations between Japan and China.

Critics of the petition describe the reaction as disproportionate to an old, casual post about a household decoration. The disagreement has spread beyond music fandoms, bringing together arguments about wartime memory, the responsibilities of public figures and the place of entertainment in a diplomatic dispute.

The campaign seeks to cancel aespa's slot, although its criticism focuses on Ningning. That places the whole group, as well as NHK, under pressure over the actions of one member. With the December 31 broadcast approaching, the broadcaster must manage audience anger while preparing a program whose performers have already been announced.

The lamp post at the center of the dispute

Ningning posted the image in 2022, presenting the lamp as a decorative purchase and asking fans what they thought. Her caption did not connect the object to the atomic bombings or to wartime history.

Ningning, aespa's Chinese member, addressed her followers with a casual question:

I bought a cute lamp, what do you think?

The lamp's silhouette resembled a nuclear mushroom cloud. For supporters of the petition, that resemblance makes the image inappropriate for a public figure who is scheduled to appear on a major Japanese broadcast, regardless of the lighthearted wording of the caption.

The post drew some criticism when it first appeared, but reactions were mixed and short lived, and there were no formal complaints at the time. It remained a relatively minor issue until the image resurfaced in 2025.

Japan's political climate has changed around the image. Friction with China has intensified, while wartime memory and national security have become more sensitive subjects in public debate. A post presented as a question about interior decoration is now being discussed in terms of respect for victims and suitability for a national television stage.

Why Hiroshima and Nagasaki are central to the objections

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were devastated by atomic bombs in August 1945. The immediate losses were immense, and survivors lived with physical and less visible wounds for decades. Mushroom cloud imagery therefore carries a particular emotional weight in Japan.

Anniversaries of the attacks bring attention to the victims and the humanitarian toll of nuclear weapons. In 2025, the 80th anniversary has added another layer to the argument over whether Ningning should appear on Kohaku.

One unnamed petition supporter framed the objection around the broadcaster's national reach and the feelings of people affected by the bombing of Hiroshima:

Kohaku is an important national broadcast. Allowing her to perform would hurt the victims of Hiroshima.

Another unnamed signatory focused on the lamp's shape and Ningning's favorable description of it:

Someone who praised a mushroom cloud shaped light should not appear on a program watched by the whole country.

Petition supporters see the booking as a matter of respect for victims. Critics of the campaign focus on the context of a casual post made years earlier and argue that the response has become excessive. The disagreement turns on how much weight a broadcaster should give an old social media image when deciding who may perform.

How the petition grew and spread across borders

The campaign on Change.org gathered tens of thousands of signatures within days. It passed 70,000 within two days of being posted, crossed 80,000 shortly afterward, exceeded 100,000 by late November and climbed beyond 120,000 in early December.

The successive figures show the campaign's growth over time. Between the point when it exceeded 70,000 and the early December total of more than 120,000, it crossed another 50,000 signatures in reported milestones.

A popular account on X promoted the petition and linked to it. That post attracted vast attention, helped push the campaign into trending discussions and prompted harsh exchanges among users in Japan, South Korea and elsewhere.

Some users described the lamp as insensitive and argued that its owner should not appear on a prestigious national program. Others accused petition supporters of turning pop culture into a political battleground and overlooking the circumstances of a casual post.

K pop fandoms extend across countries. Acts release content in several languages, tour in multiple markets and reach audiences with different histories and expectations. In this case, an argument about one image quickly drew in people far beyond the country where the petition began.

The main developments span several years and a concentrated period of campaigning:

• 2022: Ningning posted the lamp image and asked fans for their opinions. Some criticism followed, but no formal complaints were made.
• Late November 2025: The petition exceeded 100,000 signatures after passing 70,000 within two days and then 80,000.
• Early December 2025: The signature count rose above 120,000.
• December 16, 2025: NHK had announced no change to aespa's appearance.
• December 31, 2025: Kohaku Uta Gassen is scheduled for its New Year's Eve broadcast.

NHK signals that the announced performers will appear

NHK has not announced that aespa will be removed from the lineup. At a midweek press conference, Hiroo Yamana responded to questions about whether any performers might be dropped in light of the petition.

Yamana, NHK's executive director of media, referred to the existing roster and indicated that he expected the announced acts to perform:

The 37 groups we announced the other day, plus a special feature, I assume will be able to perform.

His wording pointed toward keeping the lineup in place. Aespa's scheduled appearance therefore remained unchanged as the campaign continued to draw attention.

NHK is a public broadcaster funded by viewer fees. Its decisions must account for audience expectations, sensitivity toward painful historical subjects and editorial independence, meaning its ability to make programming choices without having them dictated by outside pressure.

The broadcaster's response suggests a desire to keep cultural programming separate from the political dispute. At the same time, maintaining the booking leaves NHK facing criticism from viewers who regard the lamp image as incompatible with a national broadcast.

Why Kohaku matters to performers and viewers

Kohaku Uta Gassen, or Red and White Song Battle, is one of Japan's best known end of year music programs. For generations, it has served as an unofficial musical closing ceremony for the year.

A place on the program can signal that an artist has reached a broad audience in Japan. Performers appear alongside acts with wide recognition, giving a booking a value that goes beyond a single television performance.

Ratings and viewing habits have shifted as streaming services and social platforms have become more prominent. Kohaku's influence has changed with those habits, but the program remains a coveted stage and a marker of mainstream recognition.

That reputation helps explain why the petition has become a national argument. Supporters are objecting to Ningning's appearance on a program they regard as carrying special public meaning, rather than simply opposing a concert booking.

NHK also faces a decision with consequences beyond aespa. Removing an act in response to a petition could encourage similar campaigns against other performers. Keeping the group on the bill invites further criticism from people who believe the broadcast should reflect particular sensitivity toward the atomic bombings in their 80th anniversary year.

Taiwan remarks have sharpened the diplomatic backdrop

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently said that a Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan could constitute a survival threatening situation under Japanese security law. That designation could trigger a broader response by Japan's Self Defence Forces.

A naval blockade would involve using ships to restrict access to Taiwan. The legal phrase used by Takaichi matters because it concerns circumstances in which Japan could consider a wider security response, rather than treating events around Taiwan solely as a dispute elsewhere.

Beijing condemned the remarks as interference, and tensions rose across several channels. The dispute has affected the atmosphere surrounding exchanges between the two countries, including travel, education and entertainment.

Ningning's nationality has made the controversy particularly sensitive in that climate. A Chinese member of a South Korean pop group is being challenged over an appearance on a Japanese public broadcaster, bringing three countries' audiences into the argument.

The petition and the diplomatic dispute have become part of the same tense public environment. Supporters argue that the booking sends the wrong message during strained relations, while critics see political anger being carried into entertainment.

Travel, study and cultural exchanges face pressure

Chinese authorities issued advisories affecting people considering trips to Japan or study there. The Ministry of Education urged Chinese nationals weighing study plans to proceed cautiously.

The ministry's advisory expressed that warning in these words:

Cautiously consider whether you should study in Japan.

China's Foreign Ministry followed with a travel notice asking citizens to delay visits while conditions remained unsettled. Its message was:

Refrain from visiting Japan for the time being.

Officials also signaled tighter restrictions on Japanese cultural content and entertainment releases. They informed Japan of plans to ban imports of Japanese seafood.

Those steps brought the diplomatic disagreement into areas that affect ordinary people and businesses: university plans, holidays, cultural releases and trade. They also created a colder atmosphere for exchanges across the border, making an entertainment controversy more combustible.

For audiences watching the aespa dispute, the political background helps explain why a post from 2022 has attracted such intense attention in late 2025. The image has resurfaced while relations are under strain and public arguments about national identity and historical memory are already heated.

Aespa's Japanese ambitions and the industry's exposure

Japan is one of the world's largest music markets. South Korean acts build careers there through local releases, arena tours and major festival appearances, making recognition among Japanese audiences commercially important.

Aespa has invested heavily in Japan, including arena dates and milestones at large venues. A Kohaku appearance would place the group alongside widely recognized performers and extend its reach beyond dedicated fans.

A cancellation would bring reputational and commercial costs. Performing while under intense scrutiny would create a different challenge, requiring the group to navigate national sensitivities while presenting its music to a broad audience.

The controversy illustrates the pressures facing a group whose career crosses borders. A post by one member can affect the entire act, while audience reactions in one market can spread quickly to fans in others.

NHK and aespa face related but different concerns. The broadcaster must decide how to respond to a campaign against its programming choice. The group must manage the effect of the dispute on its standing in a major market and among fans across several countries.

What could happen before the New Year's Eve broadcast

NHK can retain the announced lineup and proceed with aespa's appearance. Producers could also adjust stage visuals or remarks during the broadcast to keep attention on the music and avoid imagery that viewers might regard as insensitive.

A short statement centered on peace is another possible approach, of a kind broadcasters have used in past controversies. Some petition supporters have called for an apology or clarification from Ningning or the group's management.

Public apologies are familiar in East Asian entertainment industries when a public figure is accused of insensitivity. Supporters of that response argue that acknowledging the concern could reduce anger and limit lasting damage.

A more drastic possibility would be an aespa performance without Ningning. Such a move would be unusual and would likely provoke strong reactions from fans across countries. It could also divide a multinational group according to nationality at a time when its music reaches audiences across borders.

These are possible responses, with no further decision announced as of December 16. NHK had given no date for an additional announcement or confirmed whether an apology, changes to the presentation or a statement during the broadcast would be sought.

Producers will be watching the petition's progress and any official signals as rehearsals approach. Stage arrangements, camera positions and song lists typically become fixed during the final preparations for a live broadcast. The next scheduled event is Kohaku itself on December 31.

What to Know

• A petition seeks to remove aespa from NHK's Kohaku Uta Gassen over Ningning's 2022 post showing a lamp shaped like a mushroom cloud.
• The campaign passed 70,000 signatures within two days, exceeded 100,000 by late November and rose above 120,000 in early December.
• Supporters cite respect for Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims. Critics argue that the response to the old post is disproportionate.
• NHK executive director of media Hiroo Yamana indicated that the 37 announced groups and a special feature were expected to perform.
• The controversy coincides with tensions following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks about a possible Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan.
• China issued warnings about travel and study in Japan, signaled tighter cultural restrictions and informed Japan of plans to ban Japanese seafood imports.
• As of December 16, NHK had announced no change to aespa's appearance. The broadcast is scheduled for December 31.