Tokyo Olympics organizing committee president resigns over sexist remarks

Yoshiro Mori apologizes, insists “I have supported all women.”

On Friday, a special meeting of the Organizing Committee of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics was held. The session was called in order to address the overwhelmingly negative response to Organizing Committee president Yoshiro Mori’s recent remarks that women’s competitive nature compels them to talk during meetings and harms efficiency, which drew cries for the former prime minister to step down from his position as head of the organization.

“My inappropriate remarks have caused an immense disruption. I would like to sincerely apologize to the directors, members of the board, and all others I have upset,” Mori began, before stating “I believe you have already been informed of this, but as of today, I will be resigning as president.”

Mori’s statement included sections in which he seemed less than wholly apologetic, even as he acknowledged he was unfit to continue his role at the head of the organization. “I said something that the president of the committee should not say. I believe there is room for differing interpretations, but criticisms of what I said have been written. I have supported all women, and more so than men I constantly sought the ideas and opinions of women,” he asserted, also adding “I have no intention of disparaging women. It is one of the most regrettable things I have said in all of my 83 years that a single statement has resulted in this.”

The 83-year-old Mori also expressed his dismay at what he sees as ageist talk in response to the scandal. “I have heard people say ‘This is the problem with old people,’ but seniors have worked hard for the sake of the world and Japan. It is extremely unpleasant to hear people talk as though senior citizens are bad people.”

It has been reported that Mori asked fellow committee member Saburo Kawabuchi to succeed him as president. The 84-year-old Kawabuchi, however, declined, and it doesn’t appear that Mori had the authority to hand-pick his successor in the first place. A special committee is now being formed to handle creating a selection process for the new president, who will have to get used to the role very quickly since the Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to open on July 23.

Source: NHK News Web
Top image: Wikipedia/17jiangz1 (edited by SoraNew24)
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