Japan beef bowl chain Yoshinoya fires executive for sexist remarks
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Yoshinoya's stock fell as much as 4.3 per cent in morning trading in Tokyo on April 19.
PHOTO: YOSHINOYA_AMERICA/INSTAGRAM
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TOKYO (BLOOMBERG) - Japanese beef bowl chain Yoshinoya Holdings fired a senior manager after sexist remarks he made at a university lecture were widely reported and went viral on social media.
Mr Masaaki Ito, a business development manager, was relieved of his duties, according to a filing with the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Tuesday (April 19).
"As of today we have absolutely no contractual relationship with this individual," Yoshinoya said in the filing. "He made incredibly inappropriate remarks regarding gender and human rights issues" leading to his dismissal, it said.
Mr Ito made the remarks a few days earlier as a guest lecturer for a marketing programme at Waseda University.
The Tokyo-based franchise confirmed he had made inappropriate comments, without specifying what was said.
News site Nippon.com reported that Mr Ito had said targeting young women who have never had men treat them to extravagant meals would make them repeat customers for gyudon, the chain's beef rice bowls.
Yoshinoya's stock fell as much as 4.3 per cent in morning trading in Tokyo on Tuesday, the biggest intraday decline since October 2020. The stock had been up 5.3 per cent this year before the remarks became public.
Yoshinoya, which operates more than 2,700 stores in Japan and overseas, has one woman on its board, according to the company's website.
The company said in the statement that it enforces compliance measures and seeks to educate its staff on understanding the rules, linking to its governance page.
Yoshinoya is known for its fast, cheap meals of beef served atop bowls of rice, as well as other menu items.
A product launch event scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled, the Nikkei newspaper reported without attribution.
Waseda University issued a statement saying that the comments were unacceptable and that it is dismissing Mr Ito as a lecturer.
"The person in question also deeply regrets the remark that made people feel uncomfortable," Yoshinoya said in the statement, adding that Mr Ito wrote an apology and will apologise in person as well. Appropriate steps against the manager will be taken, and the company will review its compliance education, it said.
"We deeply regret this matter," the company said. "We are very sorry."
