The segment was held after the Olympic flag handover ceremony from Rio to Tokyo, when Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike appeared in a kimono to receive the flag from Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes via International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
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TOKYO-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is hoping the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo will provide Japan with a psychological boost, help him revive the nation’s struggling economy and breath life into the business of sports here.
Mario may well be the world’s most recognizable mascot-and he even made an appearance at the Olympics with Nintendo’s other icons-so it’s only fitting that he’d play a big part in a video all about how great Japan is. On this occasion, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears before the public in an outfit a bit special…
As the 2016 Olympics bowed out of Rio with a three-hour closing ceremony on Sunday, Japan, the next host of the games welcomed the athletes and audiences the world over with its own signature charm. Mr Abe’s brief but show-stopping appearance as Super Mario offered a tantalising glimpse at Tokyo’s plans for the 2020 games. Tokyo will host the next Summer Games in 2020.
This story has been corrected to show that Abe was not the originator of the Super Mario idea.
“He popped up from a pipe grossly contaminated by radiation”, said one tweet, apparently referring to the Fukushima nuclear power plant that was crippled by a massive 2011 tsunami.
“Cool!” “OMG” and “I want to go to Tokyo!”
Known for his stoicism and penchant for suits, Mr. Abe added the popular Nintendo character’s red hat to his wardrobe, emerging from an oversized green drainpipe during the ceremony.
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“I declare Games of 2016 closed”, he added.
