Yasukuni Shrine

Yasukuni Shrine (靖国神社 or 靖國神社) is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It lists the names of nearly 2.5 million Japanese. Among those are 1,068 convicted war criminals (including 14 A-Class war criminals), many from the two Sino-Japanese wars in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Because of that, visits to the shrine are considered controversial. The Sakura cherry blossom trail, a popular tourist attraction, is in the same vicinity.

Role in 813 Smear Campaign

In March of 2018, during the cherry blossom season, Zhang Zhehan took photos of himself posing in front of cherry blossom trees on the Sakura route suggested by state sponsored news agencies such as People's Network and posted them on his Instagram page. In August 2021, the background architecture of one of the photos was recognized as Saikan (office area of the Shrine). In addition to that photo, a photoshopped version making it appear that Zhang was posing in front of the shrine rather than it being incidental to his walk on the Sakura cherry blossom trail, went viral. The photos resulted in multiple brands terminating Zhang's endorsement deals. His upcoming films and television shows also terminated all of their associations with him. The China Association of Performing Arts (CAPA) then called for a total entertainment ban on Zhang. Several Chinese music and streaming platforms removed his music, television and film works. Chinese social media platforms Sina Weibo and Douyin deleted his studio and personal accounts.