Fuji Rock Removes Controversial Olympics Composer

Oyamada sparked controversy after he was announced as one of the composers of the opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and then it was revealed that he bragged in two mid-’90s interviews about torturing and assaulting a developmentally disabled classmate when he was a student. 

Oyamada eventually withdrew from his Olympics duties after an international backlash. He was scheduled to perform twice at this year’s edition of Fuji Rock, which, due to the pandemic, is limited to acts based in Japan. On Saturday night, he was slotted to play the main stage just before headliner King Gnu as his internationally famous alter ego Cornelius. 

The night before, he was to participate in a new supergroup, Metafive, alongside former Yellow Magic Orchestra drummer Yukihiro Takahashi, DJ-producer Towa Tei and several other big names on the Japanese music scene. The Cornelius performance was cancelled entirely, and though Metafive is still scheduled to appear, it will be without Oyamada and, for that matter, Towa Tei and Takahashi. In addition, Warner Music Japan announced that it was cancelling entirely the release of the Metafive album slated for August 11. As a side note, some media have said that it’s ironic that Oyamada will not appear while Pierre Taki, who was thoroughly blacklisted several years ago for drug offenses, will be back on stage with final night headliner Denki Groove.

In other Fuji Rock news, on Aug. 6, everyone who has purchased a ticket received an email instructing them how to order a free antigen testing kit. Those who order the kits will receive them three days before the festival begins and are asked to self-test themselves for the COVID-19 virus. Those who test positive will receive full refunds. (It should be noted that any ticket holder can demand a refund at any time for any reason, a matter that took on special weight when the organizers announced several weeks ago that alcohol would be banned on the festival grounds.) Proof of negative test results are not required for entry, but body temperatures will be checked at the gate, and anyone with a reading of more than 37.5C (99.5F) will be refused entry. 

The vaccination rate in Japan is relatively low for people under 60 due to a severe shortage of doses.