A children’s book, once banned for alleged racism, has been put back on the shelves in Japan (NYT via Howard French).:

TOKYO — A writer’s death can do wonders for pushing that back catalog. Less drastically, a few books acquire cachet by being banned.
Which may help explain why a reissue of “Little Black Sambo,” a turn-of-the-20th century illustrated children’s book attacked as being racist, is on the bestseller lists in Japan this spring.

The publisher, if I’m reading this correctly, has attempted to avoid criticism by remodeling Sambo as a Labrador.

Intrigued by the controversy, Mori conducted academic experiments involving readers that he said showed the Japanese take nothing racist away from reading "Little Black Sambo."
He offered a group of kindergarteners and another of senior citizens a look at two versions of the story: one with the Dobias’ drawings, another with the central character drawn as a black Labrador puppy. The test groups found both illustrated versions equally amusing.
Ergo, no racism, Mori concluded.
He then fine-tuned the drawings of the puppy, found himself a publisher, and in 1997 released a "nonracist" version of the tale, titled "Chikiburo Sampo."

Next, the return of Darkie toothpaste.