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
Mikado Station Mikado Station Mikado Station was opened on August 16, 1903 as a freight station on the Boso Railway. Scheduled passenger operations began from January 14, 1905. On September 1, 1907, the Boso Railway was nationalized and became part of the Japanese Government Railways, which was transformed into the Japan National Railways (JNR) after World War II. Freight operations were discontinued on October 1, 1962. The station has been unattended since July 1, 1972. In 1985, the station building was torn down, and replaced by a modified freight container. The station was absorbed into the JR East network upon the privatization