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TV Asahi cancels performance of K-pop group BTS over member’s Hiroshima A-bombing T-shirt

Nov 10 (Japan Times) - TV Asahi Corp. said Thursday it had canceled a live performance by K-pop group BTS amid a furor over a member having worn a controversial T-shirt, said by some to celebrate the use of atomic weapons against Japan during WWII.

The controversy erupted over photos of BTS member Jimin wearing the T-shirt, which commemorates the day the Korean Peninsula was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. But the design, which has drawn flak from many Japanese, also includes a photo of an atomic bomb exploding over Japan.

Tokyo-based TV Asahi said it decided to call off BTS’s Friday night performance on its “Music Station” program, and has asked the band’s agency to explain the member’s intention in wearing the shirt. The broadcaster’s statement also apologized to viewers over the cancellation. Company spokesman Shinya Matsuki declined further comment.

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