Shinzo Abe caused a ripple of excitement during the Rio Olympics closing ceremony as he shot up from a large green pipe wearing the signature red cap and blue overalls of Mario from the Super Mario Bros games.
The character forms part of a plumber duo with his brother Luigi in the 1980s video game by Nintendo which has grown to become one of the country’s most famous exports.
As Shinzo Abe shot on to the stage, his costume fell off to reveal more ministerial attire as he held a red ball and waved Mario's signature red cap to the applaud of the crowd in what has been described as a memorable handover to Tokyo, which is hosting the Olympics in 2020.
