SHANGHAI China's annual consumer rights day television show turned its spotlight on U.S. sports brand Nike Inc (NKE.N) for misleading advertising and Japanese brand Muji for selling food products allegedly sourced from part of Japan affected by radiation. The state-run China Central Television (CCTV) show - which can have brands and their corporate PR teams scurrying to take evasive action - said Nike had misled consumers over high-tech air cushions in some of its "Hyperdunk" basketball shoes. Similar to CBS network's "60 Minutes" in the United States, the CCTV show - known as "315" in reference to global consumer rights day on March 15 - has previously named and shamed firms from Apple Inc (AAPL.O) to Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE). The two-hour show - a mix of undercover reports and song-and-dance - also highlighted Japanese brands including Muji, owned by Ryohin Keikaku Co (7453.T), which it said sold food products in China from an area of Tokyo where high levels of radiation were detected in 2015.

A Ryohin Keikaku spokesman said on Thursday the firm was "not selling any food products in China from areas banned from exporting due to concerns about radioactive contamination". Muji's China website said it was a misunderstanding, as the company's registered address and the food production site were different. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Japan had not given clear answers about the effect and extent of radiation leaks from the Fukushima nuclear crisis of 2011 and called for greater transparency. Nike said in a statement it had sold 300 pairs of Hyperdunk shoes in China last year with "an inaccurate product description stating that the shoe contained airbags". The firm added it had apologized to consumers and offered compensation. "We will fully cooperate with the government regulators regarding their inquiries," the company said. The Greater China region accounts for over 10 percent of Nike's global sales. The 315 show can hit a firm's reputation if singled out for bad corporate behavior.

Apple was forced into a rare apology in 2013 after criticism on the show of its China after-sales service. "Pretty much all the big corporations have their PR machines ready to jump into action because they've seen what happens when companies are not prepared," said James Feldkamp, Shanghai-based CEO of independent China consumer watchdog Mingjian.baby tennis shoes amazon While the annual program has lost some of its bite in recent years, Wednesday's version was harder hitting than last year's, which criticized local food delivery apps, fake online sales and dodgy false teeth, but didn't take aim at any major international firms.wholesale nike running shoes cheap However, many in China steered clear of the show altogether, while online chatter was more muted than in previous years. nike shoes 70 off

Viewers who tuned in said they were underwhelmed by the show's corporate exposés and any impact would likely be short-lived. "This year's show was a laughing stock, there weren't any really big cases in there," posted one user on Sina Weibo using the name Master Tan Xi. "Why do they bother still holding it?" (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING, Makiko Yamazaki in TOYKO and Gayathree Ganesan in BANGALORE; buy ladies golf shoes ukEditing by Ian Geoghegan and Clarence Fernandez)cheap prom dresses in ukChina's state-run television station called out Nike on Wednesday, addressing a 2016 issue over the brand's description of a pair of Kobe sneakers. best walking shoes for cheapAccording to CGTN, the claim of false advertising stems from a 2016 social media post from Nike saying the shoes had its Zoom cushioning technology.

The sneaker at the center of the controversy is the Nike Hyperdunk '08 FTB, a retro shoe released as part of the "Fade to Black" pack referencing Kobe Bryant's retirement. CGTN reports that Nike Basketball posted about the shoes on social media platform Weibo last April, mentioning that they had Zoom in the soles. One customer found that wasn't the case after buying a pair and cutting them open, and discovered that others online had realized the same after some research. Customers formed a group to file their complaint, and received confirmation from Nike that the sneakers lacked Zoom. Per CGTN, Nike agreed to refund purchases for consumers who were misled by the inaccurate info. China Central Television addressed the Kobe sneaker incident in its annual consumer rights day show. The program has leveraged such claims against Nike before, saying in 2012 that the sportswear giant misled shoppers about the cushioning in its shoes. Nike has apologized for the Kobe sneaker mishap, saying that it offered compensation to consumers as soon as it was made aware of the issue.

"Nike is committed to providing consumers with the highest product quality and service and we will fully cooperate with the government regulators regarding their inquiry," a Nike spokesperson tells Sole Collector. Per Nike, 300 pairs of the shoes featuring the inaccurate description were sold in China. While there's been no controversy around the shoes in the U.S., it appears that a page on Nike's North American website contains misleading information about the same shoe. At the time of writing, the Nike Hyperdunk '08 FTB page here mentions a Zoom unit in the heel. A Nike rep hasn't been able to confirm with Sole Collector whether pairs sold in America differ from the ones in China, but there's not much precedent for such a disparity. Some pairs of the Nike Hyperdunk retros recently released actually do use Zoom in the heel. As noted by Wear Testers last July, the "United We Rise" reissue featured the cushioning. Nike's been up front about the pairs lacking Zoom in the past, its copy describing shoes as having a "foam midsole" instead.