A diplomatic feud between Beijing and Tokyo appears to have spilled over to the arts, with what looks like an unofficial boycott on Japanese film, music and books.

China has slapped official restrictions on tourism and trade with Japan since the row erupted in November, but so far there has been no official ban on the cultural sector.

However, the Shanghai International Film Festival, which begins this Friday, does not have any Japanese films on its line-up for the first time in 20 years.

It comes after the Beijing International Film Festival, held in April, also dropped its programme of Japanese movies.

Both festivals have been part of a film exchange programme with Japan that has been held every year since 2006 – even during a diplomatic crisis over the East China Sea in 2011 and throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

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An arts worker in Shanghai said she was disappointed there was nothing from Japan at this year’s film festival but that it was “not entirely surprising”.