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Hello Kitty maker Sanrio cuts ties with a Japanese spy drama after a backlash in China

Sanrio, maker of Hello Kitty, has apologised and ended its merchandise tie-up with the Japanese spy drama Vivant after Chinese state media and social media users condemned the show's depiction of Chinese agents.

L 40% · C 60% · R 0% · 5 outlets

Left 0 · Centre-left 2 · Centre 3 · Centre-right 0 · Right 0

ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage

How each side framed it

Left-leaning outlets

Left-rated outlets headline it: “Hello Kitty company cuts ties with Japanese spy show after China outcry” (The Guardian); “Hello Kitty Owner Sanrio Axes Japan Show Ties After China Furor” (Bloomberg).

Centre outlets

Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Hello Kitty maker cuts ties with Japanese spy drama after China backlash” (BBC News); “Hello Kitty maker Sanrio cuts ties with TV spy show after China backlash” (Reuters).

Right-leaning outlets

No right-rated outlet in our sample covered it.

Context

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Sources by lean

Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.

Left 2

Centre 2

Right 0

No right coverage found — blindspot

Showing 2 from left and centre of 5 rated outlets (L 2 / C 3 / R 0). Capped at 2 because that is all we found on the thinnest side. More coverage

Video

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Deep dive

A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.

A question to hold: What would each side need to see to change its mind?

Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.

Follow the money

Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.

Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (5 outlets)
OutletLeanOwnership & funding (MBFC)
BloombergCentre-leftMichael R. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP (The parent company of Bloomberg News). According to Investopedia, Bloomberg Terminal (remote software used to access financial information) is the most expensive among financial data providers. source
The GuardianCentre-leftThe Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source
BBC NewsCentreThe BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Oversight is managed by the BBC Board, and regulatory authority rests with Ofcom. source
Financial TimesCentreThe Financial Times is owned by The Nikkei, a Japanese news and financial information company that publishes the leading financial paper, The Nikkei. The FT generates revenue through subscriptions, a hard paywall, and advertising..push({}); source
ReutersCentreIn April 2008, the British company Reuters Group was acquired by Thomson Corporation and formed Thomson Reuters. source