The National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) confirmed Thursday that a concert featuring a renowned Japanese singer has been postponed.

Shinji Tanimura, who has strong links with China, including performing at the opening of the Shanghai Expo in 2010, was scheduled to perform at the NCPA on September 25.

Xiao Yan, media officer at the NCPA, said it was postponed because of a regular adjustment in the schedules, and this often happened at the venue.

"There are no sensitive reasons. It's unnecessary to imagine any reasons behind the decision," said Xiao.

However, Xiao said later Thursday said that the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign countries, the concert's host, had called the NCPA to postpone the performance.

The association could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The Chinese language site of Japanese news agency Kyodo News reported Thursday that the concert was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japan diplomatic relations. The report alleged that Tanimura's agent said the hosts in Beijing called on Wednesday to postpone the concert. The agent speculated it was perhaps due to tensions between the two nations over the Diaoyu Islands.

Tanimura has often performed concerts in China over the past decades. He donated the entire 15.34 million yen ($120,000) proceeds from a concert in Osaka in 2003 to the Red Cross Society of China, to help the fight against SARS, according to a China Central Television report on March 26, 2007.

A Japanese man, 31, manager of a Japanese restaurant in Chaoyang district, who asked for anonymity, said that it would be regretful if the concert was postponed over political tensions.

"No matter how hard the relationship between the two countries becomes, cultural exchanges between the people shouldn't be sacrificed," he said.

Another Japanese performer, Nao Suzuki, a graduate from The Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, has also declined to perform in a play, allegedly after her role was rewritten from a Japanese to a South Korean character.

Suzuki posted on her Sina microblog Thursday afternoon that she could not perform in a stage play named Dajie Xiaoxiang, which is scheduled at the Poly Theatre from September 22 to 23.

"But I'll remember the Japanese role in the play, who loves Chinese culture and falls in love with a Chinese guy," she posted.

Qin Bo, Suzuki's agent, who also represents many other Japanese actors at the Beijing-based International Culture and Media company, said that as far as he knows, the play's producers called Suzuki Wednesday, saying that the Poly Theatre had asked for changes to be made to her role.

"Such as changing the character from Japanese to Korean, and changing Suzuki's Japanese name into Chinese in the cast list," said Qin. He confirmed that Suzuki had declined the role.

Wang Shengnan, a staff member at the Poly Theatre, told the Global Times that they have rented the stage to the Beijing Culture Bureau next week and the theatre had not made any requests in terms of content or the actors. 

Dong He, 31, a Beijing resident who loves theater, said that he really expects to see good prospects between China and Japan, but he could not give in when it comes to matters of principal.

"Thinking of what the Japanese government has done recently, I think it's necessary to make these changes to the play," he said.

Qin said his business has been affected in the past two weeks. Two TV production teams who wanted to employ Japanese actors are considering giving the roles to Chinese actors.

"But we should still acknowledge each other's culture," Qin noted.

On Thursday morning, people protested outside the Embassy of Japan in China, at Anjialou, Chaoyang district, the Legal Mirror reported.

Buses will not halt at the Anjialou bus stop, which is to the east of the embassy, between 8:30 am and 7 pm as of Thursday for the foreseeable future, said the report.