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Debunking the “Black Japan” Story By Bella Newberry

 

Bella Newberry’s Continuous Bait-and-Switch Scam: Debunking the “Black Japan” Story

Social media influencer Bella Newberry, known online as @truecrimewithbella, has recently shared a viral video claiming that Japan had Black kings and dark-skinned queens, stating that the Meiji dynasty “bleached the bloodline” and that ancient Japanese dynasties had African ancestry. You can view the video here:



In her narration, Newberry claims:
"Japan had black kings and dark-skinned black women queens this is what they didn't tell you in school before they bleached the bloodline in the Meiji dynasty… you had the kuro the black kings yeah look it up kuro means black means king… ever heard of the jomon the people with thick hair dark skin and broad faces very broad nose those are from the original islanders… then you had the satsuma and ryoku noble dynasty this is black af history it goes into all of these things the things they did not teach you in school…"

While these statements sound sensational, a close examination of history, linguistics, and archaeology shows them to be misleading or false:

1. “Japan had Black kings and dark-skinned queens”

There is no historical or genetic evidence that Japan ever had African or Black monarchs. The Meiji Restoration (1868) modernized Japan politically and socially but did not involve replacing rulers or “bleaching” the imperial bloodline. Japanese imperial lineage is extensively documented in chronicles such as Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.

2. “Kuro means black means king”

In Japanese, kuro (黒) simply means “black.” It has never meant “king.” The Japanese word for king is 王 (ō). This etymology is fabricated and misleading.

3. The Jōmon people

The Jōmon people were prehistoric inhabitants of Japan with diverse traits, genetically linked to ancient Northeast Asians and the Ainu. There is no evidence of sub-Saharan African ancestry. Claims of “afro-textured hair” are speculative and not accepted in mainstream anthropology.

4. Fabricated dynasties and hair impressions

Dynasties like Tohuka and Ryoku cited by Newberry do not exist in historical records. Hair impressions in pottery cannot reliably indicate ethnicity. Satsuma, referenced as a “Black noble dynasty,” was actually a Japanese feudal domain.

5. Trade and Portuguese descriptions

Japan’s trade networks connected it to China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Portuguese records describe Japanese and Southeast Asian peoples, not Africans. References to rulers as “brown and tattooed like Moors” reflect European perspective, not evidence of African ancestry.

6. Martial arts claims

While Buddhism spread from India to East Asia, there is no evidence that African monks founded or taught East Asian martial arts, which developed locally.

7. Hollywood and skin bleaching culture

Colorism in East Asia existed long before Hollywood, though media representations reinforced beauty standards. Hollywood did not originate skin lightening traditions.

8. The larger scam context

Newberry’s video is part of a broader pattern of viral AI-generated content that falsely links sensationalized stories to Michael Harriot’s book Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America. By presenting these fabricated narratives as previews or excerpts of Harriot’s work, she misleads viewers into thinking the book contains these accounts. Harriot has publicly warned against these scams.


Other examples of AI-generated bait-and-switch content include videos on YouTube (Litany of Sin), Instagram Reels (example reel), and multiple viral clips falsely tied to Harriot’s book. These manipulations encourage curiosity and engagement, often leading to counterfeit or unauthorized versions of his book. The legitimate book is available here:

Conclusion

Bella Newberry’s “Black Japan” video is another example of her continuous bait-and-switch tactics. It mixes selective facts, distortions, and outright fabrications while falsely connecting them to credible sources like Harriot’s book. Audiences should approach these sensational claims critically, relying on peer-reviewed research, documented history, and verified scholarship.

Tags: Bella Newberry, Bait-and-Switch, Black Japan, Jomon, Meiji dynasty, Michael Harriot, Black AF History, Historical Misinformation, American History 101

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