Japanese PM Shinzo Abe becomes Super Mario at Rio Olympics 2016 closing ceremony | London Evening Standard

Japanese Prime Minister becomes social media sensation for Super Mario cameo at Olympics closing ceremonySuper Mario: The Japanese Prime Minister appeared dressed at the video game characterREUTERS

Japan's Prime Minister delighted viewers of the Olympics closing ceremony - by making an appearance in a Super Mario outfit.

As Rio 2016 ended and Tokyo prepared to take over the Olympic baton, Shinzo Abe made it clear the 2020 games would not shy away from the country’s pop culture.

At the end of the ceremony, Japan's PM popped up out of a giant green pipe dressed up as Mario from the video game.

He sent social media into overdrive, with one person tweeting: “That was the prime minister of Japan, dressed as Mario, emerging from a pipe. What a world we live in.”

Super Mario: Japan's Prime Minister appeared at the end of the ceremony AFP/Getty Images

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Another viewer tweeted: “I never thought my Favorite part of the Olympics would be when the Japanese prime minister turned into Super Mario.”

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And one person added: “When Japan Prime Minister turned into Mario I died laughing.”

Tokyo Olympics: The video showed the character traveling through the pipe before the camera panned to Mr Abe AFP/Getty Images

Mr Abe’s crowd-pleasing performance built expectation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, with some people even debating if Pokemon GO will be a sport.

Japan is well-known for its pop culture icons and, as well as Super Mario, the Olympics preview video featured well-known characters like Hello Kitty, Doraemon and Astro Boy.