Fandom vs flag: why young Chinese embrace Japanese pop culture but reject war-era symbols

Young Chinese people enjoy Japanese pop culture such as anime and music, but many draw a firm line at symbols of Japanese militarism.That line was tested recently at Moscow State University, where Chinese students confronted a classmate wearing Japan’s rising sun flag in class and called for his repatriation, state-run newspaper Global Times reported on Sunday.Many countries, including China, view the flag as a symbol of Japanese militarism and aggression. Japan’s Self-Defence Forces still use the flag today.The October 14 incident sparked an online backlash against the Chinese student and praise for those who reported him, following commentaries by People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official newspaper, and the People’s Liberation Army.