We¡¯re one week into 2018 and it seems Japan has an image problem.

You can thank the country¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve TV block for the bulk of that. The controversy marathon began with popular comedy special ¡°Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!,¡± which, hours before 2018 arrived, managed the rare feat of angering viewers both international and domestic.

Let¡¯s start with the prior. This year¡¯s ¡°Gaki no Tsukai¡± boasted the already tightrope-clinging theme of ¡°American Cops,¡± meaning the five comedians starring in the seven-hour-long laugh jamboree sported law enforcement clothes. Except for Masatoshi Hamada, one half of the comic duo Downtown, who dressed as Eddie Murphy from the film ¡°Beverly Hills Cop¡± ¡ª .