Pressure piles on Mori

TOKYO • Yoshiro Mori's comments on women were "extremely inappropriate" and are against the Olympic spirit, Japan Olympic Committee chief Yasuhiro Yamashita said yesterday.

Tokyo 2020 organising committee president Mori sparked anger for suggesting that meetings with women take longer than usual, adding further public doubt over the safe and smooth hosting of the Summer Games.

Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto also weighed in as the fallout continued, demanding that the 83-year-old former Japanese prime minister remains accountable and explains his comment.

The Tokyo Games committee is preparing to convene a special board meeting as early as Friday to address the matter. There are no plans to discuss his resignation, Nikkan Sports reported.

Mori apologised and retracted his comments but the public's outrage appears far from assuaged.

Following his remarks, about 440 Games volunteers have quit and local organisers have received more than 5,500 complaints, according to local media.

"We are taking this very seriously," said Ms Hashimoto yesterday when asked about the resignation of the volunteers, adding that organisers needed to regain trust.

Daichi Oyama, 28, who withdrew from volunteering because of coronavirus concerns, said of Mori that "if every time he says something things get worse, he should quit".

"It wasn't just Japanese news, all the world heard what he said and there's opposition being raised. It's a very embarrassing thing for Japan," he added.

The comments have touched a nerve at home, underscoring what many say are the patronising and paternalistic views of some senior political leaders who are out of touch.

Still, some 80,000 people have signed up to help out at the Games, and many are staying on.

"Mori is Mori, I'm not his volunteer. I'm a volunteer working to carry out the Tokyo Olympics," said Misako Yoshizawa, 70.

Nonetheless, an online petition seeking action against him has garnered 140,000 signatures so far, and an editorial published yesterday in the daily Mainichi called on him to resign.

"This is not an issue that can be closed with a retraction or an apology," the editorial read.

Sponsors have also distanced themselves. Insurance company Nippon Life told the daily Asahi that it was "disappointed" with the remarks and has made that clear to the organising committee.

A company official representing an Olympic sponsor also told the Mainichi that it "would like to refrain from 'performing' with president Mori" to promote products.

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG