Girl group's Nazi-look out of tune with times
First posted: Tuesday, November 01, 2016 02:13 PM EDT | Updated: Tuesday, November 01, 2016 02:19 PM EDT
A Japanese girl group hit a sour note with their Nazi-inspired military uniforms.
Sony Music Japan has apologized for the shocking lapse in taste by the popular band Keyakizaka46, who donned the costumes for an October 22 concert.
"We express our heartfelt apology for causing offence ... because of our lack of understanding," Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) said in a statement posted on its website. "We take the incident seriously and will make efforts to prevent a recurrence of a similar incident in the future."
The Teutonic-inspired teen temptresses took to the stage wearing black dresses that looked like Nazi overcoats, adorned with black capes and officer’s caps that feature a Nazi-like emblem.
But the label said the singers were not paying homage to Hitler’s death machine.
Still, the Simon Wiesenthal Center -- a human rights group focused on anti-Semitism and hate speech -- earlier said it was disgusted by the outlandish outfits.
"Watching young teens on the stage and in the audience dancing in Nazi-style uniforms causes great distress to the victims of the Nazi genocide," Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center, said.
While the topic of war crimes committed by the Japanese regime during the Second World War remains a taboo topic, Asians are less sensitive about the Nazi’s horrific atrocities.
Much of Asia is less sensitive about the use of Nazi themes than the West. The Wiesenthal Center has also protested incidents in South Korea and Thailand.
Keyakizaka46’s most recent single, Silent Majority, reached No. 1 on Japanese charts, the Japan Times said.
Keyakizaka46. (2H Photo)
Girl group's Nazi-look out of tune with times | World | News | Toronto Sun
First posted: Tuesday, November 01, 2016 02:13 PM EDT | Updated: Tuesday, November 01, 2016 02:19 PM EDT
A Japanese girl group hit a sour note with their Nazi-inspired military uniforms.
Sony Music Japan has apologized for the shocking lapse in taste by the popular band Keyakizaka46, who donned the costumes for an October 22 concert.
"We express our heartfelt apology for causing offence ... because of our lack of understanding," Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) said in a statement posted on its website. "We take the incident seriously and will make efforts to prevent a recurrence of a similar incident in the future."
The Teutonic-inspired teen temptresses took to the stage wearing black dresses that looked like Nazi overcoats, adorned with black capes and officer’s caps that feature a Nazi-like emblem.
But the label said the singers were not paying homage to Hitler’s death machine.
Still, the Simon Wiesenthal Center -- a human rights group focused on anti-Semitism and hate speech -- earlier said it was disgusted by the outlandish outfits.
"Watching young teens on the stage and in the audience dancing in Nazi-style uniforms causes great distress to the victims of the Nazi genocide," Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center, said.
While the topic of war crimes committed by the Japanese regime during the Second World War remains a taboo topic, Asians are less sensitive about the Nazi’s horrific atrocities.
Much of Asia is less sensitive about the use of Nazi themes than the West. The Wiesenthal Center has also protested incidents in South Korea and Thailand.
Keyakizaka46’s most recent single, Silent Majority, reached No. 1 on Japanese charts, the Japan Times said.
Keyakizaka46. (2H Photo)
Girl group's Nazi-look out of tune with times | World | News | Toronto Sun