I learned that musician Keigo Oyamada, who is in charge of composing at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, said in an interview with a magazine more than 20 years ago that he was bullying students with disabilities when he was a teenager. Ripples are spreading, such as a statement made by a group made up of families of people with intellectual disabilities.

Keigo Oyamada, who works under the name "Cornelius", was announced on the 14th of this month as one of the composers of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.



However, after that, in interviews with several magazines in the 1990s, it was pointed out on the Internet that he was bullying his classmates and students with disabilities when he was in junior high school, and criticisms continued, Mr. Oyamada Posts an apology on his homepage and SNS.



Under these circumstances, the "National Federation of Hands-on Training Associations" made up of families of people with intellectual disabilities issued a statement in response to this issue.



The statement states that the premise is "I strongly protest because I was a classmate with a disability who was less likely to be counterattacked because it was a work that should be called abuse or assault rather than bullying."



He added, "There may be excessive words and deeds considering the age, but after becoming an adult and prominent musician, there was no need to make a funny announcement. In his remarks, he clearly discriminated against people with disabilities. There are some parts that are seen in various places, and at this point, not only have we not reflected on them, but we can also see that they are speaking like a kind of heroic story. "



"I would like to strongly point out that there are many people with disabilities, their families, and people involved who feel that they cannot enjoy the Tokyo Games due to this incident."



Aoi Matamura, managing director of the National Federation of Hands-on Training Associations, said in a statement, "When I first read the article, I felt a lot of emotions such as shock and resentment. People with disabilities did so. Unfortunately, the susceptibility to damage has been highlighted again. "



On top of that, "Mr. Koyamada published an apology, but it cannot be taken as a sincere explanation. Also, in light of the idea of ​​the Olympic Charter that the Organizing Committee also" prohibits any discrimination, "why is it appropriate? It is necessary to explain whether we will not ask for retirement this time as well. I think that both should be explained firmly at a formal occasion such as a press conference. "

The editor-in-chief of the magazine that posted the bullying remark apologizes

Editor-in-chief Yoichiro Yamazaki, who was in charge of an interview with one of the magazines "Rocking on Japan" that published remarks about past bullying by musician Keigo Oyamada, apologized on the company's homepage on the 18th.



Mr. Yamazaki was also the editor-in-chief at that time, saying, "The attitude as an interviewer, the judgment as the editor-in-chief who posted it, all of which are wrong acts lacking ethics and sincerity for the problem of bullying. It's an article 27 years ago, but it's something that will continue to be read, and I think that the responsibility as the editor-in-chief must continue to be questioned and undertaken. Damage that has hurt We deeply apologize to those who have seen the article, their families, and those who have been uncomfortable with the article. "