South Korea’s top sports body files an official complaint after a welcoming ceremony for the Asian Games in Nagoya features a person dressed as Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The ceremony is held to mark the arrival of the cruise ship Costa Serena, which is to function as a floating hotel for athletes and officials.
South Korea’s Olympic committee says Hideyoshi led Japan’s invasions of Korea in 1592–1598, events that remain sensitive in relations between the two countries. Both outlets report that the complaint is sent to the Asian Games 2026 organizers in Aichi-Nagoya, and one account also says it is routed to the Olympic Council of Asia. The ceremony also includes other historical figures associated with the Nagoya region, including Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, which local organizers present as part of regional history and culture.
Across the reports, the key difference is emphasis: one outlet highlights that the backlash follows the warlord depiction itself, while the other specifies the timing of the complaints and the ceremony’s setting and link to the “Imagine One Asia” games slogan. In both accounts, the dispute centers on historical memory and the visibility of Hideyoshi in a multi-country sporting event context.
