Petition Stops Blackface

A member of Rats and Star had previously promoted the segment on Twitter, saying it would air March 7. However, the segment did not run. During the show a message at the top of the screen appeared saying the program had been “partially edited.” Though the producers did not make mention of the supposed elision, the Japan Times reported that Fuji TV removed the segment based on a “comprehensive judgment.”

Baye McNeil, the African-American blogger/author and Japan Times columnist who had sent the petition to Fuji TV, told the newspaper that the network never responded to him directly, so the exact reasons for canceling the segment are not known.

Rats and Star has been performing in blackface since the ’70s, and the group’s supporters have said that the petition was an overreaction, as the group’s makeup is supposed to be an homage to black music styles. They say it is wrong to condemn the use of blackface when Japan has no direct history of anti-black racism. McNeil, who has lived in Japan for more than two decades, told the Japan Times, “Once you’re made aware of [what blackface means] you should adjust accordingly, especially if you’re going to be a part of the global community.”