Social media immediately lit up as scenes of Abe wearing a Super Mario costume proved jaw-dropping to Japanese watching the spectacle on television half a world away. “I never thought of having Prime Minister Abe play Mario, let alone him emerging from plumbing,” another Twitter user said. That was a reference to Abe's entrance before the vast crowd at Rio's Maracana stadium where plumber Super Mario came out from underground after drilling down from Tokyo into the earth to reach Brazil. The closing ceremony and transfer of the Olympic flag to Tokyo was the top story in Japan's evening newspapers, with some including short items on Abe's transformation into Super Mario. I never imagined he would play Mario.” She then suggested Abe should start calling himself “Shinzo Mario Abe” to raise his global profile.

Source: Sunday Times August 22, 2016 11:03 UTC