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The director of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Summer Olympics has been fired after images of a 1998 comedy sketch showed him making an anti-Semitic joke about the Holocaust.
Kentaro Kobayashi was removed from office a day before the opening ceremony of the Summer Games in Japan.
The organizing committee confirmed Kobayashi’s departure a statement. He explained that the creative director had been removed from his post “after coming up with a joke about a painful historical event in the past.”
“In the short time remaining for the inauguration ceremony, we offer our deepest apologies to many people involved in this Olympics, as well as to citizens of Japan and the world, for the crimes and seriousness that this issue may cause,” he said. committee.
Kobayashi, known for his work as a comedian, actor and theater director, appeared in 1998 as part of a comedy duo, Frame. In a sketch, Kobayashi and Jin Katagiri parodied the hosts for a children’s education program. Kobayashi mentioned some cuts in paper dolls, describing them as saying “let’s play the Holocaust”. AFP news agency.
He received his statements with the laughter of the audience.
Images were shared online and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has condemned it, saying the comments are “horrific and unacceptable”.
Kobayashi apologized to the premises news: “I’m in the business of entertaining people. It should never be about making people feel uncomfortable. I understand then that the foolish choice of my words was a mistake, and I regret it. ‘
When one of the composers at his departure ceremony, Keigo Oyamada, resigned when an interview in an old magazine was revived, he admitted to harassing other children at school, as well as a classmate who had difficulty learning.
Commission to Oyamada’s actions “completely unacceptable”. A four-minute part of the show that was supposed to play his music has now been cut.
There is no confirmation as to how Kobayashi’s departure will affect the program or whether the change can be expected to diminish his contribution.
The opening ceremony kicks off the Olympics and is usually a show of high production value, highlighting the wonders of the host nation and setting the tone for a fortnight of sporting excellence.
This year’s show will be more dominated affair, Reuters reported. The Pandemic Delayed Games have thrown up the challenge various athletes COVID has been positive and the number of cases in Tokyo is growing.
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