Nazi costume on sale in Japan
Tokyo discount chain to pull black jacket with a swastika armband and sketch resembling Adolf Hitler from its shelves after complaint from Jewish organization in the US
A Japanese discount chain said Tuesday that it will pull a Nazi costume from its shelves after a complaint from a Jewish organization in the US.
The costume on sale at retailer Don Quijote Co. includes a black jacket with a swastika armband and a sketch resembling Adolf Hitler on the package, with the phrase "Heil Hitler."
The outfit was on sale for about 5,000 yen ($60) in at least two outlets in Tokyo, including one in the upscale Ginza shopping district.
Don Quijote said it would pull the product after being told of a letter from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish rights organization based in Los Angeles. The letter, dated Monday, requested that sales immediately cease, saying that millions of Jews and other innocents were killed by the Nazis during World War II and that the swastika remains a "symbol of hatred."
"We want to fully respond to this letter from the center and are currently working within the company to do so," said company spokeswoman Kana Kasai in Tokyo.
Kasai said she didn't immediately know how long the product had been on sale or how many had been sold. The costume is made by a Japanese company called Aico. A spokesman for the company was not immediately available.
- Follow Ynetnews on Facebook
