by Howard Campbell
NEW YORK – In the 60 years since Jamaica and Japan established diplomatic relations, reggae has been a unifying force for the countries.
In October, reggae artist Yami Bolo, one of the artists who helped make the music popular in Japan, participated in two events in Kingston organized by Yasuhiro Atsumi, Japan’s ambassador to Jamaica.
The singer from New York performed at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. He also sang at the ambassador’s residence to celebrate the milestone.
During his Edna Manley set, he was joined by Japanese singer Miya. They performed “Love is Dangerous,” a hit song from 1994 in Japan.
“It was a joy seeing him after all these years. That song did a lot for me in Japan an’ show me that they were a lot of possibilities,” said Yami Bolo.
Known for songs such as Love my Woman, Puppet Master and Isn’t She Lovely, he first toured Japan in 1987 with fellow roots artists Augustus Pablo, White Mice and Junior Delgado. He returned several times in the 1990s for JapanSplash, the annual festival that attracted the biggest names in reggae.
Japan was arguably the biggest market for Jamaican music in the 1980s and 1990s. Freddie McGregor, Sugar Minott, Tenor Saw, Tony Rebel, Diana King, Shabba Ranks, Cocoa Tea and Buju Banton were some of the artists who kept reggae alive there.
The embrace of Jamaican culture led to the rise of Japanese sound systems like The Mighty Crown. This group became a strong force in international dancehall-reggae.
Several events commemorating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Jamaica and Japan have been held in Jamaica this year. Some have involved prime minister Andrew Holness and government officials.
