The director of the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been removed. The organizer said after the media reported that he had ridiculed the Nazi Holocaust before.
Hashimoto Seiko, chairman of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, stated in a briefing on Thursday that Kentaro Kobayashi had been fired for making remarks about the tragedy of the Nazi Holocaust. Kentaro Kobayashi participated in comedy performances in the 1990s.
The International Jewish Rights Organization Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a statement earlier condemning Kobayashi’s past actions.
The center’s deputy dean and director of global social action Rabiabraham Cooper said: “Any connection between this person and the Tokyo Olympics is an insult to 6 million Jews and a cruel mockery of the Paralympics.”
Kentaro Kobayashi himself expressed that he regretted what he called a “stupid choice”.
This is the latest news in a series of embarrassing incidents by Tokyo organizers. These incidents have triggered anger at home and abroad. Just a few days ago, a famous musician was forced to resign from the opening ceremony composer due to old reports of bullying and abuse. Job title.
In February, Yoshiro Mori, who was the Japanese prime minister, was forced to resign due to sexist remarks. A month later, Hiroshi Sasaki, the creative director of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, had to resign after making derogatory comments about a popular Japanese female artist.
Abe does not attend the opening ceremony
At the same time, the Japanese Public Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) reported that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has decided not to attend the opening ceremony.
The Japanese government earlier declared Tokyo a state of emergency and adopted epidemic prevention measures to minimize the health risks faced by residents and tourists.
Thursday is a public holiday in Japan, and the media could not immediately contact Abe’s office to confirm the news.
At the closing ceremony of the Rio Olympics, Abe represented Japan with the image of a famous plumber in the video game “Super Mario” and played a huge role in attracting attention to the Olympics to Tokyo.
At that time, Abe and his supporters hoped that the current Olympic Games would achieve the same effect as the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, indicating that the country has regained its strength after decades of economic stagnation, and marked the destruction of Japan from 2011. Recovered from the Fukushima nuclear disaster and natural disasters.
On the contrary, the Olympic Games, which was postponed for one year due to the global pandemic, faced a series of scandals and setbacks.
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(Social networking sites)Low-key activity
The opening ceremony on Friday is usually an important show stage for the host country, but this opening ceremony will be a low-key event. According to Japanese media reports, there will be less than 950 participants, of which only about 15 global leaders.
The first lady of the United States, Jill Biden, is expected to land in Tokyo on Thursday afternoon to attend the ceremony. This has sparked speculation that she might use this opportunity to discuss vaccine issues with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
Biden has been visiting all over the United States, urging more people to get vaccinated.
In Japan, only one-third of Japanese people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, which has raised public concerns that the Olympics may become a super spread event.
At present, dozens of athletes have tested positive for the new crown, some athletes have been forced to retire, and teammates have been quarantined.
Dozens of Tokyo Olympics participants tested positive for the new crown, some athletes were forced to retire, and teammates were quarantined (Reuters)The number of confirmed cases in the capital has surged and is expected to soar further, and healthcare practitioners will face tremendous pressure.
In a recent poll by the Asahi Shimbun, 68% of respondents expressed doubts about the ability of Olympic organizers to control the spread of the new crown virus, and 55% opposed the continued hosting of the Olympics.
The Olympic games have begun, the Japanese women’s softball team kicked off on Wednesday, and Sweden defeated the United States in the women’s football match.
More about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
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