The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee on Thursday fired the director of the opening ceremony because of a Holocaust joke he made during a comedy show in 1998.
Kentaro Kobayashi was accused of using a joke about the Holocaust in his comedy act, including the phrase “Let’s play Holocaust,” in one of his shows. His dismissal comes ahead of Friday's opening ceremony of the pandemic-delayed Games.
Japan's Olympic chief Seiko Hashimoto said the video ridiculed "painful facts of history". Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga described the comments as "outrageous and unacceptable".
Kobayashi himself has issued a statement responding to his dismissal. He said, entertainment should not make people feel uncomfortable, adding that he understands that his choice of words at that time was wrong, and he regrets it.
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The dismissal is the latest in a string of scandals to hit the Games. Earlier this week, a composer whose music is expected to be used at the opening ceremony was forced to resign because of past bullying of his classmates, which he boasted about in magazine interviews.