{"id":16414,"date":"2021-02-04T11:38:20","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T19:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=16414"},"modified":"2021-02-05T08:21:32","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T16:21:32","slug":"reuters-and-abc-news-tokyo-2020-chief-mori-makes-sexist-remarks-at-olympics-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=16414","title":{"rendered":"Reuters and ABC News: Tokyo 2020 chief Mori makes sexist remarks at Olympics meeting. It’s been within character for decades now, so retire him."},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi Blog. President of the 2020 Japan Olympics Committee (JOC), former abysmally unpopular PM<\/a>, and professional geriatric grouch Mori Yoshiro has put his foot in it again. He’s gone off on the women allegedly cluttering his committees (he even got the number of them wrong), after there was a suggestion from somewhere that the gender imbalance on the committee be addressed. Articles follow, then comments:<\/p>\n

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Tokyo 2020 chief Mori makes sexist remarks at Games meeting – newspaper<\/strong>
\nReuters, Wed, February 3, 2021, courtesy of MG<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/tokyo-2020-chief-mori-makes-144553091.html<\/a><\/p>\n

TOKYO (Reuters) – The president of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee told a meeting on Wednesday that female directors talked too much, which was “annoying”, according to Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yoshiro Mori, a former prime minister, made the comments, some of which were greeted with laughter, at a meeting with members of the Japanese Olympic Committee, the Asahi reported.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tokyo 2020 could not be immediately reached for comment.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“If we increase the number of female board members, we have to make sure their speaking time is restricted somewhat, they have difficulty finishing, which is annoying,” Mori said, according to the report from the Asahi, one of Japan’s leading daily papers. “We have about seven women at the organising committee but everyone understands their place.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The JOC board has 25 members, of whom five are women.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the committee’s governance code, established in 2019, it should be aiming to make sure that 40% seats on the board are filled by women.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The 83-year-old Tokyo 2020 chief was already facing criticism for comments he has made about the Games, amid growing public opposition in Japan to holding the postponed event this summer while the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Mori had told a meeting with Japan’s Sports Research Commission that “we will hold the Olympics, regardless of how the coronavirus (situation) looks”.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In response to those comments, Japanese comedian Atsushi Tamura, who was set to be an Olympic torchbearer, said he would decline to run in the torch relay due to begin March 25.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

(Reporting by Jack Tarrant and Mari Saito; Editing by Alex Richardson)<\/em><\/p>\n

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ABC News adds (excerpt):<\/p>\n

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Tokyo Olympics chief apologizes for sexist comments that women talk too much in meetings<\/strong>
\n“I deeply regret it,” he told reporters Thursday.<\/strong>
\nBy Anthony Trotter and Morgan Winsor<\/strong>
\nABC News (USA), February 4, 2021, Courtesy of the Author<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/International\/tokyo-olympics-chief-apologizes-sexist-comments-women-talk\/story?id=75677674<\/a><\/p>\n

Mori, an 83-year-old former prime minister of Japan, made the remarks during an executive meeting of the Japanese Olympic Committee that was held online Wednesday. When giving his “private opinion” about the committee’s goal of increasing the number of female board directors from 20% to more than 40%, Mori expressed concern about how that would affect the length of meetings, according to a report by The Asahi Shimbun<\/a>, one of Japan’s largest daily newspapers. […]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“A meeting of an executive board that includes many women would take time,” Mori was quoted as saying by the newspaper. “Women are competitive. When someone raises his or her hand and speaks, they probably think they should speak too. That is why they all end up making comments.” […]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking at a hastily-prepared press conference on Thursday, Mori confirmed he made the comments and offered an apology.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“It was an inappropriate remark that went against the spirit of the Olympics and Paralympics,” he said. “I deeply regret it and would like to sincerely apologize to anyone whom I have offended.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When asked about the calls for his resignation, Mori told reporters: “I’m not considering resigning.” […]<\/em><\/strong>
\n\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rest of the article with more contextualizing information than the Reuters’ piece at
\nhttps:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/International\/tokyo-olympics-chief-apologizes-sexist-comments-women-talk\/story?id=75677674<\/a><\/p>\n

COMMENT<\/strong> from Submitter MG<\/strong>: “Just wanted to send another bit of good Debito fodder from our ol’ buddy Mori Yoshiro. Just another reminder of what a terrible choice it was to hire this jerk to head an Olympics that really should just never have been handed to Japan in the first place when there was still a ruined Tohoku that needed rebuilding. Were it not for the long-term economic consequences that will follow my beloved adopted home country due to folly of these Games, I would surely enjoy the schadenfreude of a group of elites getting egg all over their face<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

COMMENT FROM DEBITO<\/strong>: Let me explain why this is a Debito.org Issue. First, Debito.org came out against Japan holding the Olympics<\/a> because a) international events bring out the worst in Japan’s media and policing tendencies<\/a>, and b) Japan played dirty pool to get them<\/a>\u00a0(including racist comments about fellow contender Istanbul being unsuitable as a venue because it is “Islamic”<\/a>). \u00a0Because beating out other candidate countries, and getting reaffirmation that Japan still matters on the world stage, is what Japan’s leaders care about, not sports. \u00a0Heck, Japan can’t even play fair when there are “foreign competitors” within its DOMESTIC sports (see here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

But then we get to Mori. We’ve covered him quite a bit on Debito.org<\/a> for his racist comments (for example, about Japanese Olympians Chris and Cathy Reed<\/a>, where he attributed their inability to medal because they were “naturalized”, not Real Japanese). Then we get to his bigoted statements about how Japan (aka the “Kokutai”) is the “Land of the Gods” (Kami no Kuni<\/em>),<\/a> a sentiment that belongs in the rhetoric of Prewar Japan leaders destined for defeat.<\/p>\n

I called this entitled old man “a mould for gorilla cookies<\/a>” long ago because even then I saw him as a waste of space. \u00a0He’s the type of Japan elite dinosaur zombie politician (in the same vein as equally useless Former PM Aso Taro<\/a>) who feels like he can say whatever pops into his “shark brain<\/a>” and not be held accountable for it. \u00a0Because he never really has. \u00a0Despite being a lousy leader, he just keeps on getting jobs leading things — in his case, high-profile sports committees (such as the Rugby World Cup in 2019<\/a>) that turn into international embarrassments. \u00a0As it has again today.<\/p>\n

To Japan, tolerating Mori Yoshiro is like tolerating gaffes from the UK’s Prince Philip<\/a>. \u00a0But Mori is not royalty, endured only because his position is essential upholding an apparently sacrosanct system. \u00a0He should be retired from public service immediately even if he refuses to resign. \u00a0It’s obviously long overdue. \u00a0Debito Arudou, Ph.D.<\/p>\n

======================
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ABC News: Mori, an 83-year-old former prime minister of Japan, made the remarks during an executive meeting of the Japanese Olympic Committee that was held online Wednesday. When giving his “private opinion” about the committee’s goal of increasing the number of female board directors from 20% to more than 40%, Mori expressed concern about how that would affect the length of meetings, according to a report by The Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s largest daily newspapers. […]<\/p>\n

“A meeting of an executive board that includes many women would take time,” Mori was quoted as saying by the newspaper. “Women are competitive. When someone raises his or her hand and speaks, they probably think they should speak too. That is why they all end up making comments.” [..] Speaking at a hastily-prepared press conference on Thursday, Mori confirmed he made the comments and offered an apology. “It was an inappropriate remark that went against the spirit of the Olympics and Paralympics,” he said. “I deeply regret it and would like to sincerely apologize to anyone whom I have offended.” When asked about the calls for his resignation, Mori told reporters: “I’m not considering resigning.” […]<\/p>\n

COMMENT FROM SUBMITTER MG: “Just wanted to send another bit of good Debito fodder from our ol’ buddy Mori Yoshiro. Just another reminder of what a terrible choice it was to hire this jerk to head an Olympics that really should just never have been handed to Japan in the first place when there was still a ruined Tohoku that needed rebuilding. Were it not for the long-term economic consequences that will follow my beloved adopted home country due to folly of these Games, I would surely enjoy the schadenfreude of a group of elites getting egg all over their face.”<\/p>\n

COMMENT FROM DEBITO: Mori, one of Japan’s least-popular Prime Ministers ever, is the type of Japan elite dinosaur zombie politician (in the same vein as equally useless Former PM Aso Taro) who feels he can say whatever bigoted thing pops into his head (as I cover in this blog entry, he’s made many other racist statements), and not be held accountable. \u00a0Because he never really has. Despite being a lousy leader, he just keeps on getting jobs leading things — such as high-profile sports committees (the Rugby World Cup in 2019) that turn into international embarrassments. \u00a0As it has again today. To Japan, tolerating Mori Yoshiro is like tolerating gaffes from the UK’s Prince Philip. \u00a0But Mori is not royalty, endured only because his position is essential upholding an apparently sacrosanct system. \u00a0He should be retired from public service immediately even if he refuses to resign. It’s obviously long overdue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,36,22,50,52,20,26,4,14,11,17,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-embedded-racism","category-bad-social-science","category-cultural-issue","category-gaiatsu","category-hate-speech","category-history","category-ironies-hypocrisies","category-japanese-government","category-japanese-politics","category-problematic-foreign-treatment","category-sport","category-tangents"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16414"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16420,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16414\/revisions\/16420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}