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John G. Russell
For John G. Russell's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 24, 2021
Online harassment is all a part of Japan’s ‘post’ racism
Public figures in Japan have been making headlines by talking about the amount of racialized abuse they receive online. However, such bullying has been around for a long time.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 17, 2019
Whitewashing racial bias: The ball's in Japan's court
In what felt something like a case of deja vu from last year's Masatoshi Hamada blackface fiasco, Japan welcomed in 2019 with yet another racially insensitive controversy, this time in the form of an ad from food company Nissin.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 3, 2018
Face the reality of racism in Japan
When racism occurs, either implicitly or overtly, it is often dismissed as arising from Japanese racial naivete.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices
Sep 6, 2017
The other eclipse: Nazism recasts its shadow in Japan and the U.S.
It seems Nazis are the new black. It took two days for U.S. President Donald Trump to belatedly denounce American neo-Nazis and other white supremacists. In Japan, Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, voicing admiration for German Nazis ("paleo-Nazis"?), suggested that Adolf Hitler, "who killed millions of people, was no good, even if his motives were right."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Apr 19, 2015
Historically, Japan is no stranger to blacks, nor to blackface
I am a black Japanese half. I was bullied because of my skin color in elementary school, so I have a strong complex about my skin color. If Japanese truly adored blacks, it wouldn't bother me. But do Momokuro really adore blacks? I think if you asked them if they wished they had been born black, they would say no. Japanese say blacks are cool, but if you ask them if they want to be born black, most would say no.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on