Keyakizaka46, a spin-off of the phenomenally popular AKB48 J-pop stable formed by Yasushi Akimoto, donned black military-style costumes similar to those worn by the paramilitary wing of Hitler’s Nazi party. Publicity photos showed members wearing peaked caps featuring a bird insignia that resembles the Parteiadler eagle emblem of the Nazis.

The group, which formed in 2015, reached No 1 in the Oricon daily single CD and Billboard Japan top singles charts with its debut single, Silent Majority, earlier this year.

Akimoto, the band’s producer and lyricist, will help produce the opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Social media users criticised the band’s choice of costume for its Perfect Halloween concert in Yokohama late last month.

Twitter user @batayanF3 wrote: “Just because you didn’t know or because you don’t praise Nazis doesn’t mean you can do this kind of thing. It’s unforgivable considering how influential they are as talents.” Another, @buppii21, suggested the members of the group, aged from 15 to 21, should read the Diary of Anne Frank.

@pfd1212, said the group’s management should have known better than to dress children in Nazi uniforms.

Ichika Rokuso, a Japanese writer based in Berlin, implored young people to understand the hurt felt by the families and friends of those who died in the second world war.

In a statement posted on Keyakizaka46’s website, Akimoto said he was very sorry “for failing to oversee matters as the producer”.

Sony, the group’s label, said: “We express our heartfelt apology for causing offence ... because of our lack of understanding. We take the incident seriously and will make efforts to prevent a recurrence of a similar incident in the future.”

This is not the first time a Japanese pop band has provoked anger over the use of Nazi symbolism. In 2011, Sony and MTV apologised after Kishidan appeared on primetime television wearing Nazi-style uniforms. The apology came after the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre, which monitors antisemitic activities, expressed “shock and dismay” at the boy band’s appearance.

Akimoto invited ridicule last year when he proposed choosing the best of the AKB48 stable to play at the Olympic opening ceremony in Tokyo. One TV celebrity said subjecting a global TV audience to the group’s saccharine lyrics and juvenile dance routines would be an “embarrassment”.

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