BEVERLY HILLS, February 11, (THEWILL) – Tokyo’s Olympic and Paralympic Organising Committee President, Yoshiro Mori, may need to step down after the sexist remarks he made went public.
His resignation, which he initially refused to discuss in the aftermath of those remarks, is expected tomorrow when the committee’s executive board meets, according to Japan’s KYODO news agency.
As reported by THEWILL, the 83-year-old said women talk too much and that meetings with many female board directors would “take a lot of time” to arrive at decisions.
He also claimed women were driven by a “strong sense of rivalry.”
Mori made these comments during an online meeting of the committee’s Board of Trustees earlier this month and was quoted by local newspaper Asahi Shimbun.
“If we increase the number of female board members, we have to make sure their speaking time is restricted somewhat, they have difficulty finishing, which is annoying,” the quote ran.
The sports chief later retracted his words, acknowledging that they were inappropriate – but when pressed on whether he really thought women talked too much, he replied: “I don’t listen to women that much lately, so I don’t know,” as a way to avoid saying the wrong thing and roping himself in further.
Mori, who is a former Japanese Prime Minister, refused to resign at the time, but now faces the real prospect of leaving his position as his comments drew sharp criticism, first online and then, in Parliament, where some opposition politicians demanded that the 83-year-old quit.
Another powerful voice added to the criticisms he has faced so far is from Japan’s most prominent sports personality, professional tennis player Naomi Osaka. Osaka, who became the first Japanese player, male or female, to get two Grand Slams and hold the world number one ranking in tennis, criticised Mori’s remarks as “ignorant.”
“I feel like that was a really ignorant statement to make,” she said. “I think that someone that makes comments like that, they need to have more knowledge on the thing that they’re talking about.”
KYODO reports that there already is a replacement. Saburo Kawabuchi, a former chair of the Japanese Football Association and one of the key figures in the foundation of its professional football competition the J.League, will immediately step in and take charge of Mori’s duties after the resignation on Friday, if all goes according to plan.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
