TOKYO – Yoshiro Mori, chairman of Tokyo’s Olympic organizing committee and former prime minister, could be forced to resign after making derogatory comments about women earlier this week.
It is an additional problem, as the organizers and the International Olympic Committee are trying to push the Deferred Games in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. They are scheduled to open on July 23rd.
The organizing committee said Thursday that it had no statement, but hoped to have one later.
The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that Mori said the women talked too much in meetings during an online meeting of the board of directors of the Japanese Olympic Committee earlier in the week. Her comments have created a storm in Japan, where women are underrepresented in politics and boardrooms.
In an interview with the Japanese newspaper Mainichi published on Thursday, Mori, 83, apologized and suggested he could resign.
“I had no intention of disrespecting women,” Mainichi reported saying. “I think I have to fulfill my responsibility, but if resignation demands grow, I may have to give up.”
He added: “He was careless of me and I would like to apologize.”
Asahi reported this by saying in an online meeting on Tuesday, “Women are very competitive. When one of them raises her hand, they probably think they have to say something too. And then everyone says something.”
Her comment came when she was asked about the presence of a few women on the board of the Japanese Olympic Committee.
“If we have more women directors, someone has remarked, meetings will continue for a long time unless we restrict comments. I’m not saying who she is,” she said.
The Tokyo Olympics he leads are already flooded with problems.
About 80% of Japanese in polls say the Games should be postponed or canceled amid the pandemic. They also talked about rising costs that could add up to more than $ 25 billion at these Olympics.