The Mikado of the title character as a disrespectful representation of the revered Meiji Emperor; Japanese theatre was prohibited from depicting the emperor on stage. Japanese Prince Komatsu Akihito, who saw an 1886 production in London, took no offence. When Prince Fushimi Sadanaru made a state visit in 1907, the British government banned performances of "The Mikado" from London for six weeks, fearing that the play might offend him – a manoeuvre that backfired when the prince complained that he had hoped to see "The Mikado" during his stay. A Japanese journalist covering the prince's stay attended a proscribed performance and confessed
The Mikado review from "The New York Times". After Lamplighters Music Theatre of San Francisco planned a 2016 production, objections by the Asian-American community prompted them to re-set the opera in Renaissance-era Milan, eliminating all references to Japan. Reviewers felt that the change resolved the issue. Modern productions update some of the words and phrases in "The Mikado". For example, two songs in the opera use the word "nigger". In "As some day it may happen", often called the "list song", Ko-Ko criticizes "the nigger serenader and the others of his race". In the Mikado's song, "A more humane Mikado", the lady