In case you've not been following international news of late, you're in for a bit of facepalming over politics. It seems the rising tensions between China and Japan over the territorial status of the Senkaku islands (called "Diaoyu" in China) has escalated into full-blown rioting in some Chinese cities, with Japanese businesses, nationals, and Chinese with the temerity to drive Toyotas being attacked by angry mobs, along with accusations that authorities are turning a blind eye to the violence.

If that sort of thing weren't facepalm-worthy enough on its own, it's caused the cancellation of Anisama Shanghai 2012, a big ol' anime song concert to be held in Shanghai's Mercedes-Benz Stadium in October. An announcement on the event's site announced the cancellation, unsurprisingly citing "safety issues" as the main motivator, and promising refunds to those who had already bought tickets. 

Such a shame. A number of popular artists were set to attend, including May'n, JAM Project, Yukari Tamura, FLOW, and more. China has a lot of folks in it, and not all are seemingly crazy nationalists. I'd bet that more than a few even like Japanese cartoons and the music associated with such, and would have appreciated going to the event.