‘De-Japanify’: China milk tea brand Nayuki loses Japanese-sounding name amid rising nationalism and anti-Japan sentiment

The name was based on company founder Peng Xin’s online nickname. Meaning Naixue’s Tea, its original Chinese name included a Japanese possessive particle with the original English name – Nayuki – sounding Japanese as well.

However, the company has started to “de-Japanify” itself over the past year as it tries to position itself as a “China chic” brand and to emphasise its Chinese identity, Peng said in recent public comments.

Photos shared on social media, and a search of its online ordering systems in different cities show that some of its stores have already started using the new brand name.

It was once a common marketing strategy for Chinese companies to mimic Japanese styles, which used to be popular with younger consumers, but this has become a liability as anti-Japan sentiment has grown in China in recent years.

Miniso, a Guangzhou-based budget lifestyle brand that closely resembles Japanese-owned retailer Muji, apologised in August after being attacked online by nationalists for trying to promote itself as an overseas Japanese designer brand.

The company vowed that all its promotional materials and shop decorations would be free from Japanese elements by March 2023.

In 2020, trendy Chinese drink maker Genki Forest, which originally had a similar Japanese-ish look in its branding, replaced a Japanese character meaning air on its packaging with the corresponding Chinese character qi.