Olympic Opening Ceremony Music Chief Quits amid Bullying Scandal

Tokyo, July 19 (Jiji Press)--Japanese musician Keigo Oyamada said Monday he has offered his resignation from the creative team for the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics amid unabated criticism against his bullying of classmates in the past. "I'm now keenly aware that I failed to give consideration to various people when I accepted the offer (to compose music for the ceremony). I'm really sorry," Oyamada tweeted. The resignation will be granted, and his music will not be used, the organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics said. Immediately after the committee announced Wednesday the members of the creative team and concepts for the opening and closing ceremonies, Oyamada came under fire online for his confessions in past magazine interviews that he seriously bullied classmates with disabilities for years. On Friday, Oyamada offered an apology in a statement, and the committee said he would stay on as opening ceremony music leader. But these moves failed to quench the fire. In response to his resignation offer, the committee admitted it had made a "wrong decision to ask him to continue preparatory work." The Oyamada scandal came after Hiroshi Sasaki quit as creative director for the ceremonies in March for proposing the idea of having a popular female comedian perform in a pig costume at the opening ceremony. END