By Oh Young-jin
Sana, a Japanese member of nine-member K-pop girl band Twice, has landed in hot water over comments on the changeover of her country’s emperor.
The Japanese refer to the country’s ceremonial head of state as the emperor, but Koreans, still rankled by Japan’s 36-year colonial rule, refer to him as a “king”. Japan has never issued an apology for its colonisation of Korea.
On the group’s Instagram account, Sana posted in Japanese: “I was born in the Heisei era, so am sad to see it end. I would say ‘good job’ to Heisei [the name that will be given to Emperor Akihito after his death]. Toward the first day of the new Reiwa era, I will spend the last day of Heisei with a fresh mind.”
Emperor Akihito abdicated as Japanese emperor on Tuesday, ending the 30-plus years of the Heisei era and paving the way for the rise of his son, Emperor Naruhito, and the launch of the new era of Reiwa.
Some fans criticised what they saw as Sana’s lack of sensitivity for the feelings of Koreans as she posted the comments on her Korean account, saying that although she is Japanese, she belongs to a Korean girl band.
One post says in Korean: “Better write that in her own diary.”
Twice has three Japanese members – Sana, Momo and Mina – and the group was set up to appeal to the key Japanese K-pop market.
The Sana controversy comes after Japanese politicians criticised Dahyun, another Twice member, for wearing a T-shirt supporting former sex slaves who were forced to serve imperial Japanese soldiers.
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Twice also did not take part in a remembrance event marking the 100th anniversary of the March 1, 1919, Independence Movement against Japan.
Twice’s JYP agency has not commented on the latest controversy.
Read the full story at the Korea Times
