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Yoshiro Mori resigned as chairman of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee on Friday following sexist comments implying that women talk too much.
“As of today, I will step down as chairman,” he said to open a meeting of the executive board and council. The board was due to choose its successor later Friday. Mori was named in 2014, just months after Tokyo won the bid to host the Olympics.
“My inappropriate comments have caused a lot of chaos,” he said. He has repeatedly said he regrets the comments, but also said he “has no intention of neglecting women”.
Tokyo Olympic mascot “Miraitowa”, left, and Paralympic mascot “Someity”, right, and Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee President Yoshiro Mori on stage at the first Tokyo mascot event in 2018 . (AP)
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Mori’s departure comes after more than a week of relentless criticism of his comments earlier this month. He apologized at first but refused to step down, which was followed by relentless pressure from TV pundits, sponsors and an online petition that drew 150,000 signatures.
But it’s not clear his resignation will clarify matters and bring attention back to exactly how Tokyo can host the Olympics in just over five months amid a pandemic.
The Olympics will kick off on July 23, with 11,000 athletes and 4,400 more at the Paralympics a month later. About 80% in recent polls in Japan say they want the Olympics canceled or postponed with clear support of around 15%.
According to initial reports, the 83-year-old Mori had chosen Saburo Kawabuchi, 84, a former chairman of the Japanese football governing body and a former player himself. He played for Japan at the 1964 Olympics.
Kawabuchi is even older than Mori and will raise the question of why a woman was not named. This is the center of all the debate Mori has sparked about gender inequality in Japan and the absence of women on sports boards, politics and governance. Women are also largely absent from management positions within the organizing committee.
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Kawabuchi said on Thursday that he had been contacted by Mori and that he would take the job if offered to him. But he later said he might not have been the appropriate choice and seemed to be backing down.
Japanese media immediately pointed out that there were three qualified women – all athletes and former Olympians and at least a younger generation – who could fill the post.
Kaori Yamaguchi won a bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics in judo. Mikako Kotani won two bronze medals at the 1988 Olympics in synchronized swimming. And Naoko Takahashi was a gold medalist in the 2000 Olympics marathon.
Seiko Hashimoto, the current Olympic minister and former Olympian, was also mentioned as a candidate.
Mori’s remarks shed light on just how far behind other prosperous countries in advancing women in politics or on boards. Japan is 121st out of 153 in the World Economic Forum’s ranking on gender equality.
Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee Chairman Yoshiro Mori addresses the media at the end of January. He resigned from his post on Friday. (AP)
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Koichi Nakano, a political scientist at Sophia University in Tokyo, called Japan a country still run “by a club of old people.” But he said it could be a turning point.
“Social norms are changing,” he wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “A clear majority of Japanese found Mori’s comments unacceptable, so the problem is more related to the lack of representation of women in leadership positions. This sad episode could have the effect of strengthening the call for greater equality and diversity. of the sexes in the corridors of power. ”
Although some on the streets called on Mori to step down – several hundred Olympic volunteers say they are stepping down – most policymakers, including Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, abstained and simply condemned his words.
A comment a few days ago from the president of Toyota Motor Corp. Akio Toyoda seemed to move the needle.
Toyota is one of 14 so-called TOP Olympic Sponsors who donate approximately $ 1 billion every four years to the International Olympic Committee. The company rarely speaks out on policy and Toyota has not called for Mori’s resignation. But talking about the issue might have been enough.
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“(Mori’s) comment is different from our values, and we find it regrettable.” Toyoda said.
Toyota and Coca-Cola are also major sponsors of the torch relay.
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