Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki performs to 14,000 empty seats after Shanghai concert cancelled

Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki holds Shanghai concert to empty seats after sudden cancellation

Renowned Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki had her recent Shanghai concert cancelled amidst the ongoing diplomatic dispute between China and Japan.

Despite this, she still performed her entire set list of songs to the empty arena.

Shanghai concert on 29 Nov cancelled

The “Empress of Pop” and best-selling solo artist in Japan is currently touring Asia as part of her I Am Ayu Tour.

Hamasaki had performed in Beijing on 1 Nov and was scheduled for a concert in the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center on 29 Nov.

On 28 Nov, the concert was hastily cancelled, one of many such incidents involving Japanese singers in China.

Notably, singer Maki Otsuki — known for singing the theme song of anime series ‘One Piece’ — had her concert stopped mid-performance.

Hamasaki disappointed for wasted efforts of Chinese & Japanese staff

On her Instagram Story, Hamasaki explained to her fans — Team Ayu (TA) — that she had worked together with a crew of 200 people across five days to set up the Shanghai stage.

“Key staff members were hastily gathered in the morning, and we received a request to call off the performance,” she wrote.

However, Hamasaki said she does not intend to comment on matters she has no knowledge of, likely referring to the ongoing diplomatic tension between Japan and China.

“I just deeply feel sorry that we were unable to allow the approximately 100 Chinese staff members who worked so hard to put [it] on.”

Additionally, she expressed disappointment for the other 100 staff members, dancers, and band members who had travelled from Japan.

Hamasaki also said she was at a “loss for words” that the stage now had to be dismantled without the opportunity to meet the 14,000 TAs who had gathered for the concert.

Hamasaki puts on ‘unforgettable’ empty arena Shanghai concert

On the day of the scheduled concert, Hamasaki decided to put on the show anyway.

The singer and her crew reportedly performed from the first song all the way through to the encore in the empty venue.

“With 14,000 empty seats, but [feeling] so much love of TAs from all over the world, it was one of the most unforgettable shows ever to me,” Hamasaki wrote on Instagram.

She took the opportunity to thank the Chinese and Japanese crew for making the performance possible

Hamasaki also posted photos from the empty arena concert, with confetti raining down on herself and the dancers.

The I Am Ayu Tour currently lists a concert in Macau on 10 January 2026, though it is unclear whether the date will also be affected by cancellations.

In response to the cancellation, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an told reporters on 1 Dec that the city would welcome Hamasaki’s return in the future.

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Featured image adapted from @a.you on Instagram.