The health ministry's attempt to use comedy to encourage people to discuss hospice care options with their families in advance fell flat with the public and was criticized as being in poor taste, prompting its withdrawal.

The poster, released Monday, was meant to promote a government-led initiative on advanced care planning dubbed jinsei kaigi (life meeting). Advanced care planning encourages people to have discussions with family members and doctors about what kind of treatment or care they would like to receive before they become unable to make those decisions for themselves in the final stage of their lives.

The poster features Kazutoyo Koyabu — a comedian belonging to renowned entertainment agency Yoshimoto Kogyo — frowning as he lies on a hospital bed with nasal cannulas inserted. In purple characters, a message expresses his regret that he did not have such conversations with his family earlier and that he wishes he could have stayed at home with his family rather than being confined to a hospital bed.