[UPDATE] Watanabe Naomi released a statement in regards to Olympics wanting her to appear in a role as an “Olympig”

Comedian Watanabe Naomi released a statement on Thursday when she heard that the chief director of the  opening and closing ceremonies for the Tokyo Olympics had wanted her to play the role as an “Olympig”.

Watanabe said, “In fact, I am happy with my figure. So, as usual, I would like to express myself as ‘Naomi Watanabe’ without being particular about being fat. However, as a human being, I sincerely hope that we can have a fun and prosperous world where we can respect and recognize each person’s individuality and way of thinking”.

Watanabe said on her YouTube livestream today, “I was very disappointed that this news report was widely covered by overseas media. I don’t want people to think that this is all about Japan because the production, from what I heard was really cool. Some people were hurt and I think there are people who wish for a world where everyone could understand each other. I think it’s a difficult problem but I hope this changes as a result”.

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