CCTV attacks VIVANT over portrayal of Chinese agents
AM730 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has publicly criticised the second season of TBS spy drama VIVANT after a commentary on Friday accused the series of portraying Chinese-linked operatives as brutal torturers while presenting Japanese intelligence personnel as justified responders. The dispute has pushed an entertainment programme into a wider argument over wartime memory, national image and media narratives in China and Japan.
Key Points
- CCTV-affiliated programme International News Express published a commentary on October 24 titled “Cognitive Poisoning Behind a Hit Japanese Drama”, targeting VIVANT season two on TBS.
- The commentary objected to scenes showing Chinese-background secret operatives using torture including finger-cutting and stabbing the abdomen of Japanese intelligence personnel.
- It said those methods closely resembled atrocities used by invading Japanese troops against anti-Japanese fighters, calling the depiction a transfer of Japanese war crimes onto Chinese people.
- CCTV also argued the drama beautifies Japan’s Self-Defense Forces intelligence unit “Betsuban” as righteous counterattackers and blurs the boundaries of overseas operations.
- Sing Tao reported VIVANT 2 stars Masato Sakai, Hiroshi Abe and Koji Yakusho, and said its premiere rating reached 18.8%, a 2026 commercial television launch high.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong audiences, the row shows how a popular imported drama can quickly become part of a larger political and historical dispute, affecting how viewers read entertainment from Japan and mainland China. It also suggests that discussion around East Asian screen content may increasingly turn on national image and wartime interpretation, not only plot or production value.