The director of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Summer Olympics was fired after footage from a 1998 comedy show showed him making an anti-Holocaust joke.
Kentaro Kobayashi stepped down from his duties just a day before the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Japan.
The organizers confirmed Kobayashi’s departure in a declare. It explained that the creative director was removed from his position “after a joke he had made in the past about a painful historical event came to light.”
“In the short time remaining before the Opening Ceremony, we offer our deepest apologies for any offense and suffering this may have caused many Olympic participants. Olympic Games, as well as citizens of Japan and the world,” said the Commission.
Kobayashi, who is known as a comedian, actor and theater director, appeared in 1998 as part of the comedy duo, Rahmens. In one sketch, Kobayashi and Jin Katagiri parodied the hosts for an educational program for children. Kobayashi mentions a number of paper doll cutouts, describing them as “those where you said ‘let’s play the Holocaust’,” according to AFP news agency.
His comments were met with cheers from the audience.
