Keigo Oyamada: Tokyo Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies Composer resigns over historic bullying remarks

Oyamada – who is also known by the stage nickname Cornelius – faced a social media backlash after comments made in the 1990s with Japanese magazine Rockin’On Japan recently started circulating online. In the comments, he described abusing his apparently disabled classmates at school.

Oyamada issued a statement on Friday admitting his past actions and apologizing for the effects it had on his classmates and their families.

Following criticism of his intimidating and abusive behavior, Oyamada said in a Twitter post Monday that accepting a position on the creative team to provide music for the Games “was disregarded.”

Oyamada said he had offered his resignation to the Olympic Organizing Committee and was grateful for the “opinions given to me and would like to reflect them in my future behavior and thoughts”, before d ‘add that he was “very sorry”.

Oyamada’s resignation is the latest controversy to rock the Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed from last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Organizers have faced a number of high-profile departures in recent months. In March, Hiroshi Sasaki, Creative Director of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, apologized and resigned after making a derogatory comment about popular Japanese artist Naomi Watanabe.

A month earlier, Tokyo Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigned after sexist remarks he made about women leaked to the media.

CNN’s Chie Kobayashi reported from Tokyo and Heather Law reported from Atlanta.