2020: Comedians Who Dare

Source:  The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus Volume 18 | Issue 16 | Number 3 | Article ID 5452 | Aug 15, 2020
Mit freundlicher Erlaubnis von Japan Focus


Comedians Who Dare:    Political Satire in Contemporary Japan

Shawn De Haven

Abstract:
Unlike the United States and elsewhere, political comedy is rarely spotlighted in Japan. Through interviews with three comedians, Hamada Taichi, Yamamoto Tenshin (The Newspaper) and Muramoto Daisuke (Woman Rush Hour), this article seeks to understand the practice, reception and standing of political humor in Japan today. What has motivated these comedians to ursue controversial routines that may have hindered their careers? How do they account for the relative lack of political satire in Japan today? The interviews provide a complex picture of media self-censorship and indirect pressure from the government – a picture that is both pessimistic and hopeful for the future of political satire in Japan. Interviews are edited for clarity.


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