It's a satire on British institutions, using Japan as a foil. That was quite clear at the time. (The name of the town of Titipu, where the opera is set, is based on Chichibu - which has created a Japanese language version of the piece). The initial Japanese reactions to The Mikado were slightly ambivalent, apparently. A Japanese prince made a state visit to the UK in the early 1900s and complained that wasn't able to see the Mikado performed. What HAS been cut from the original text is the work "nigger", which was used in the "I've got a little list" song.

I saw the English National Opera version (produced by Jonathan Miller) in the original production and in its revival. Eric Idle played KoKo and it was set in the 1920s. Great fun and a great production. I think G&S polarises opinion - you either like their stuff or you don't. I had it rammed down my throat at school by a G&S mad music master and ignored it for years. It was only in later life that I began to understand the satire in the text and appreciate Sullivan's pastiches of classical musical styles.