"Let's Put Pig Makeup on an Actress"... Tokyo Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremony Director Also Faces Misogyny Controversy

158cm, 107kg Watanabe Insulted as a Pig

Popular Japanese talent Naomi Watanabe. Photo by Agency Website Capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Adverse events have consecutively struck the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which are already facing difficulties due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Mori Yoshiro, the chairman of the organizing committee, resigned on the 12th of last month following controversy over his misogynistic remarks. About a month later, it was revealed that the overall director in charge of the opening and closing ceremonies also disparaged a woman's appearance, leading to his resignation and raising concerns about disruptions to the event's proceedings.

The Japanese weekly magazine "Shukan Bunshun" reported on the 17th that Sasaki Hiroshi (66), the creative director and overall person responsible for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics opening and closing ceremonies, insulted the appearance of a female talent.

It was reported that in March last year, while in charge of the Paralympics, Director Sasaki shared a production plan for the opening ceremony via messenger with his team members that demeaned the appearance of popular Japanese talent Watanabe Naomi (33) by comparing her to a pig.

Watanabe is 158 cm tall and weighs 107 kg, having a fuller figure. Her agency's website introduces her hobby as "eating." Watanabe, who has a Japanese father and a Taiwanese mother, is active as a host, actress, singer, and comedian.

Director Sasaki reportedly proposed an idea in the event production plan to have Watanabe, who is popular in Japan and has distinctive physical features, dress up as a pig and perform comically, linking the English word "pig" with "pigu" (the Japanese pronunciation of dodgeball), a play on the Olympic theme. This plan was discarded after growing criticism among team members.

Following the report by Shukan Bunshun and rising public criticism mainly on the internet, Director Sasaki issued an apology in the early hours of the 18th, stating that "there were very inappropriate expressions in my thoughts and remarks during the process of exchanging ideas for the opening ceremony," and conveyed his intention to resign to Hashimoto Seiko, the chairperson of the organizing committee.

Accordingly, with former chairman Mori having resigned over misogynistic remarks, the organizing committee is facing an unprecedented situation of replacing the overall director of the opening and closing ceremonies just over four months before the Olympic opening.

Shinzo Abe, then Prime Minister of Japan, dressed as the Mario character from the game Super Mario at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Director Sasaki, who was in charge of the Paralympics, took on the role of overall director for both the Olympics and Paralympics after the original production team disbanded last December due to the significant downsizing of the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He, a former employee of Dentsu, Japan's largest advertising company, attempted a production stunt at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics where then-Prime Minister Abe Shinzo appeared in disguise as Mario from the popular Japanese game character "Super Mario Brothers" during the Olympic rings handover event.

Japanese media reported that this incident, which occurred shortly after the newly appointed organizing committee chairperson Hashimoto started with the goal of realizing diversity and harmony through the Tokyo Olympics, has once again cast a shadow over the Tokyo Olympics.

Previously, former chairman Mori faced criticism for undermining the Olympic ideal of gender equality after stating at the Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) extraordinary council meeting on the 3rd of last month that "boards with many women take longer (to conduct meetings)," and resigned nine days later.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.