The director of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics has been dismissed, following news reports about his past comments on the Holocaust.
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Tokyo Games President Seiko Hashimoto told a briefing Kentaro Kobayashi had been dismissed because of past comments that made fun of a tragedy.
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 in 1998.
His dismissal comes the day before Friday's opening ceremony of the pandemic-delayed 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.
Australian Associated Press
