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The president of the Tokyo Olympics has resigned following the reaction of athletes, sponsors and the Japanese public to the sexist comments he made last week.
Yoshiro Mori’s departure was announced at an emergency meeting by the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee and follows a steady rise in pressure on the 83-year-old former prime minister.
His resignation leaves the Tokyo Games – postponed from last year because of Covid-19 – without a leader just 193 days before they start.
“My inappropriate remarks on this occasion caused chaos,” Mori said in a 15-minute speech in which he portrayed himself as a women’s champion and criticized media reports on his comments.
Mori’s successor remained uncertain after the nomination of Saburo Kawabuchi, another octogenarian who previously headed the Japan Football Association, failed on Friday.
The search for a replacement comes with games still threatened by the prevalence of the virus around the world. The organizing committee will soon have to make a crucial decision on whether or not to allow spectators.
The departure of Mori, who remains an influential politician, marked a symbolic moment for gender equality in Japan.
It had emerged that the former rugby player would be able to ignore the criticism after a brief apology. Several older politicians dismissed the remarks as a blunder.
The comments were made last week during a meeting between sports officials, in which Mori said women were not on the committees because they talked too much. “It takes twice as long. Women have a strong sense of rivalry. If one raises their hand to speak, everyone else feels they should do the same. So everyone ends up talking, ”he reportedly said.
But public outrage and embarrassment over the remarks grew as the incident gained international attention. Polls have shown that a majority of the Japanese public believe Mori should resign. Former Olympic medalists have spoken, and tennis player Naomi Osaka dismissed the comments as “really ignorant”.
The International Olympic Committee denounced Mori’s words as “absolutely inappropriate”.
The tide has finally turned after Akio Toyoda, managing director of the world’s largest automaker and global sponsor of the Olympic Games, issued a rare statement on Wednesday criticizing the comments as “contrary to the values Toyota respects and supports.”
Following initial reluctance, a series of other sponsors, including Panasonic, Asics and Japan Airlines, have issued statements highlighting their commitment to diversity and gender equality.
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