BTS's Appearance On Japanese Show "Music Station" Postponed

BTS’s planned appearance on the Japanese music show “Music Station” has been postponed.

BTS was slated to perform “Fake Love” and “IDOL” on the November 9 episode of TV Asashi’s “Music Station,” following the release of their ninth Japanese single this week.

On November 8, Big Hit Entertainment announced via BTS’s official Japanese website that the group’s scheduled appearance on “Music Station” has been postponed. “We apologize for conveying this unfortunate news to the fans who were looking forward to it,” the agency stated. “We will work hard so that BTS can continue to meet their fans with better music and performances.”

A post on the “Music Station” website on November 8 also stated that BTS’s appearance has been postponed. “A t-shirt design worn by a [BTS] member caused a controversy,” it stated. “We asked about the intention behind wearing that piece of clothing and discussed with the agency, but although unfortunate, after an overall consideration of the situation, we have decided that this appearance will be postponed. We deeply apologize to the viewers who were looking forward to their appearance.”

Recently, a controversy arose over photos of BTS member Jimin wearing a t-shirt commemorating the day that Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. The designs include a photo of Koreans celebrating liberation and a photo of an atomic bomb detonating in Japan, which contributed to Japan’s surrender to the Allied forces and thereby Korea’s liberation.

Many have pointed out that while the controversy over the t-shirt design has been mentioned, another reason for the postponement may be the increasingly deteriorating relations between Japan and South Korea. Late last month, South Korea’s Supreme Court ordered a Japanese company to compensate four Koreans for wartime labor during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean peninsula. With the Japanese government maintaining that all matters of compensation were settled through a treaty in 1965, political tension is high between the two countries.

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