Shanghai officials have reportedly issued verbal warnings to music venues since July banning performers from singing songs with Japanese lyrics, a move industry insiders say may reflect efforts to align with central government policy amid strained Sino-Japanese ties, Kyodo News reported on Thursday.
Performers are required to submit setlists and lyrics for approval before shows. Since July, some concerts featuring Japanese idol music and anime themes have been cancelled after failing to secure permits, according to Kyodo.
China has more than 250 underground idol groups, most of which perform Japanese songs and interact with fans in Japanese. One Shanghai group member said they had been forced to replace all Japanese songs with Mandarin ones.
