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Yoshiro Mori
Photo: POOL / REUTERS
The pressure on Yoshiro Mori, head of organization of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, is increasing after his sexist statements.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said on Wednesday that she would not attend a four-party meeting allegedly planned for February 17 with Mori and IOC President Thomas Bach, among others.
Such a meeting, in her opinion, "wouldn't bring anything really positive," said Koike, without going into the reasons.
On Tuesday, a group of women parliamentarians took part in a meeting with white roses on jackets of the same color to protest against Mori's statements.
This paid homage to the suffragettes who advocated women's rights in the early 19th century.
Male parliamentary colleagues also expressed their solidarity with the wearing of roses.
Sponsors find statements "unacceptable"
Akio Toyoda, head of the Japanese automobile company Toyota and top sponsor of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), also spoke up.
"It is very unfortunate that the comments made by the chairman of the organizing committee differ from the values that Toyota cares about," it said in a statement.
A survey by the Japanese broadcaster NHK showed that 36 Olympic sponsors consider Mori's statements to be "unacceptable".
Meanwhile, the organizing committee confirmed that it will meet later this week to discuss Mori's heavily criticized statements.
According to media reports, the 83-year-old had said at a meeting of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) that women would drag out meetings because they "have difficulty expressing themselves precisely".
Meetings with many participants would therefore "take up a lot of time".
Prime Minister upset
A little later Mori apologized for the statements, but also said: “I hear these things a lot.
I haven't talked to women a lot lately so I don't know. "
The reports of Mori's remarks sparked a storm of indignation in Japan.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also said that such comments "should not be allowed".
The IOC initially announced that after apologizing, it would consider the matter closed.
On Tuesday the organization expressed itself again and described the statements as "absolutely inappropriate".
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