The head of Japanese bobsleigh apologized on Tuesday and admitted making “utterly unacceptable” remarks that reportedly included an anti-Korean slur.
Takahiro Kitano, who is also a Japanese Olympic Committee vice president, made the comments during an investigation into the two-man bobsleigh team’s failure to qualify for this year’s Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Kitano said in a statement that there were “instances where I failed to maintain my composure” during the internal probe.
The Japanese-language online edition of HuffPost reported that Kitano had used an anti-Korean slur, using the sentence “baka ya chon demo dekiru,” which means “anyone can do it.” It can be translated literally as “even an idiot or a Korean can do it.” The word “chon” is an antiquated anti-Korean slur.
“The use of such language is utterly unacceptable for someone entrusted with the management of a public sports organization and I deeply regret my own lack of judgement,” Kitano wrote.
Bitter memories of Japan’s brutal occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945 have long cast a shadow over Tokyo-Seoul ties.
Japan missed out on a place in the two-man bobsleigh competition at February’s Milan-Cortina Olympics after the federation misunderstood the qualification requirements.
© 2026 AFP
