Aftermath of Female Disparaging Remarks by Mori, Chairman of Japan Olympic Organizing Committee, Intensifies

"Meetings Get Longer When There Are Many Women" Remarks
Resignation Pressure Intensifies Domestically and Internationally Even After Apology

▲Mori Yoshiro, Chairman of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The backlash against Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee Chairman Mori Yoshiro's (83) sexist remarks is intensifying. As protests against this continue to spread online day after day, foreign embassies in Japan are also joining in.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun on the 7th, more than 115,000 people had signed an online campaign titled "We do not want to pass on gender discrimination to the next generation" as of 8 p.m. the previous day.

The movement began on the night of the 4th through an online petition site. Famous figures, including Ryuichi Sakamoto, a master of Japanese film music, also participated.

Although the petition did not explicitly call for Chairman Mori's "resignation," it demanded that the Japanese government and others review his position and take measures to prevent recurrence.

Additionally, it calls for the proportion of female directors in organizations related to the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games to be set at a minimum of 40%.

Foreign embassies in Japan, especially those from Europe, are supporting the Japanese people protesting Chairman Mori's remarks.

The Delegation of the European Union to Japan posted on Twitter on the 5th with hashtags such as #DoNotBeSilent #GenderEquality #EqualityBetweenMenAndWomen.

The post included two photos showing what appeared to be delegation staff raising their hands.

The German Embassy and the Swedish Embassy in Japan also posted tweets with the same hashtags.

The German Embassy's post featured a photo of 12 women raising their hands and another photo of 17 men and women raising their hands.

Earlier, Chairman Mori said on the 4th regarding the problematic remarks, "It was an inappropriate expression against the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games," and "I deeply reflect on it." However, despite his apology, calls for his resignation are spreading within Japan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.