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Yoshiro Mori
Photo:
Issei Kato / REUTERS
According to a media report, the Japanese Olympic organizer Yoshiro Mori, who has come under massive criticism for sexist comments, will resign.
The Japanese news agency Kyodo and other media reported on Thursday, citing informed circles.
At an online board meeting of the OC of the Summer Games, the 83-year-old ex-head of government Mori had declared that women talked a lot, which is why board meetings would take time to double the quota of women in management bodies of the sports associations.
Mori had apologized, but the storm of indignation persisted.
The OK has called a special meeting in Tokyo this Friday, at which Mori reportedly wanted to announce his resignation.
Saburo Kawabuchi, founder of the Japanese professional soccer league J. League, is reportedly being discussed as the successor to Mori.
Mori had been quoted as saying that women have a strong sense of rivalry.
“If either of them raise their hand, they'll probably think they have to say something too.
And then everyone says something. ”There was a storm of criticism.
Around 390 volunteer Olympic helpers declared that they did not want to take up their honorary posts in protest.
The OC assessed Mori's statements as inappropriate and underlined his commitment to gender equality.
IOC also criticized Yoshiro Mori for statements
The International Olympic Committee also stated that the Japanese official's statements were "absolutely inappropriate and contrary to the IOC's obligations and the reforms of its 2020 Olympic Agenda".
Mori took back his words.
So far, however, there has been no resignation from those responsible.
Mori belongs to the most powerful group in the ruling LDP party and, as a long-time rugby association boss, is networked in politics and sport in the country like no other.
The incumbent Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and other high-ranking LDP politicians only reprimanded Mori, nobody wanted to speak of resignation.
However, the scandal is another big problem for Japan's Olympic organizers who, despite the ongoing corona pandemic, want to open the summer games in Tokyo with 11,000 athletes, which have been postponed by a year due to corona, and then the Paralympics with 4,400 athletes on July 23.
In surveys, more than 80 percent of the Japanese surveyed said they should either postpone the games again or cancel them entirely.
The scandal surrounding the former Japanese head of government highlights the disadvantage of women in Japan's male-dominated society.
In the ranking of the World Economic Forum on gender equality, the number three in the world economy - ahead of Germany - only ranks 121st out of 153 countries.
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