In most situations, when blackface is used in an American context it is almost always an immediate cause for uproar.  The minstrel movement was, at its heart, a comedic depiction of black stereotypes shown through the eyes of the upper echelon of society.  As time went on, it became a bit tougher to stomach and much more offensive.  When these images finally reached Japan due to the popularity of American culture worldwide, the absurdity of the images that had been broadcast were no longer accepted in American society.

This makes for a very interesting assimilation into Japanese culture because in the simplest sense, the Japanese don’t actually KNOW this type of visual imagery is offensive.  The younger sector of Japanese tends to feel the need to buck the conformist ideals of the older generations, and gravitate to these highly stereotyped images that they see pushed through the media as they adopt overly hyped, negative African American caricatures.

In addition, Japanese hip-hop has spawned an audience that attempts to pay homage to extremely popular African American hip-hop and rap acts by using liquid tanning products and makeup to darken their skin as well. This is a much more extreme approach, as the majority of the hip-hop subculture just adopted the fashion and styling of the American rap scene.  Here’s an example from Japanese hip-hop artist Rhymester:

Please don’t get upset at the following performances; they are just an attempted true-to-life imitation of some popular American celebrities. While there are both racial insensitivity as well as a bit of ignorance towards non-Japanese people in Japan, African Americans seem to get the short end of the stick due to long-held American prejudices.

President Barack Obama and wife Michelle

Singer Louis Armstrong