Sony China’s Weibo Account Banned
A certified account belonging to the Chinese division of Japanese electronics giant Sony has recently been banned. On January 5, the CEO of Weibo responded that a blog post from Sony China that was interpreted as attacking medical experts was published on October 12, 2022, and that a final punishment had just been approved.
This is not the first time Sony China has been punished. On October 12, 2021, Sony China was given an administrative penalty by the Chaoyang District Market Supervision Administration in Beijing for violating the clause reading “advertising shall not harm the dignity or interests of the country and disclose state secrets” in the country’s advertising law, incurring a fine of 1 million yuan ($145,940). The penalty is aimed at a new product advertisement published by the company in June 2021.
On June 30, 2021, Sony China released a promotional poster to announce that a new device would be released at 10:00 pm on July 7. Unfortunately for the firm, this was the precise anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, a July 1937 battle between China’s National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army. On the morning of July 1, Sony China deleted the post and issued an apology, calling it a misunderstanding. Chinese web users said they couldn’t accept Sony’s very reluctant explanation.
According to Sony’s financial report for fiscal year 2021-2022, total sales were 9,921.5 billion yen ($74 billion), up 10% year-on-year. Operating profit reached 1,202.3 billion yen, up 26% year-on-year.
Previously, Takahashi Hiroshi, the former senior vice president of Sony and chairman of Sony China, revealed in an interview that Sony’s global revenue and profit reached a new high in fiscal year 2020, and that its market performance in China was also good. On this basis, Sony China set a radical goal for the new fiscal year.
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“China’s macroeconomic situation is good, and the willingness to consume is very strong. After the pandemic, consumer demand is diversified and personalized. This situation is more suitable for companies like Sony that provide high-value-added products. We must implement precise strategies for market demand,” said Hiroshi.
In addition, according to a post by Sony China on December 28, 2022, a new sales location opened in Wuhan, becoming the firm’s eighth independent physical store in the Chinese mainland.
