Misogynist, Yoshiro Mori? The chairman of the Tokyo Games Organising Committee assured Wednesday at a meeting of the Japanese Olympic Committee open to the press that women were “struggling to finish” their speeches when given the floor. And, therefore, that “boards with a lot of women take a long time”. Asked about the Japanese Olympic Committee’s plan to increase the number of women on its Council to more than 40%, Yoshiro Mori did not wear gloves. “If you increase the number of female executive members, and their speaking time is not limited to some extent, they have a hard time finishing, which is annoying“, he suggested. “Women are competitive. If one raises a hand, the others believe they should speak out too. That’s why everyone ends up talking. We have seven women on the organising committee, but they know how to stay in their place”. Reported by the daily Asahi Shimbun, the words of the former prime minister quickly sparked a storm on social media. A large number of Internet users have called for his resignation from the organising committee. Many comments pointed to his age, 83, assuring the Japanese leader was no longer in step with the times. But according to the Asahi Shimbun, his sexist remarks did not shock everyone in the audience. They would rather make some laugh.
