Gaffe-Prone JOC Chairman Mori Gets in Hot Water for Sexist Remark
Yet another case of a powerful old man who lacks respect for women. When will things ever change? Someone named Sarah Thomas may provide the necessary inspiration during the Super Bowl.
It may be said that baseball is “America’s Pastime,” but the spectator sport that dominates the ratings is football—as in American football. Later today the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. This game arguably marks the top of the sporting hierarchy in the U.S, and it is the exclusive domain of male athletes.
While there is, apparently, no explicit rule barring women from playing professional football in the National Football League (NFL), to date there have been no female players. The closest that women have come to breaking through this glass ceiling is the ground-breaking performance of college senior place kicker Sarah Fuller who on November 27, 2020 became the first woman to play in a Power 5 match for her team, the Commodores of Vanderbilt University. The key barrier to entry as a football player is, naturally, related to physical size. The average NFL player is 188 cm (6’2”) and weighs 109 kg (240 lbs). While anatomical differences may preclude most women from being able to participate as a player, women have been breaking through the glass ceiling of pro football staffing and coaching.
On September 27, 2020 for the first time there was a regular season NFL game that featured three women in key roles. Callie Brownson, the Cleveland Browns’ chief of staff, Jennifer King, the Washington Football Team’s coaching intern, and Sarah Thomas, an NFL official, could be seen directing the players. That was revolutionary.
Lately women have been penetrating what has thus far been the exclusive domain of men in other prominent positions in other sports, as well. Perhaps the most high-profile recent example was the appointment of Kim Ng as the general manager of professional baseball’s Miami Marlins on November 13, 2020. It was the first time for a woman to ascend to such a high level of management in professional sports in the U.S.
Meanwhile in Japan…
There are, unfortunately, no parallels to report from this side of the Pacific. This week’s front-page headlines in Tokyo have, instead, been dominated by one of the most popular and enduring sports in Japan, male chauvinism. It is the kind of story that has caused many to utter under their breath “Not again! When will things ever change?”
What happened?
On Wednesday, February 3 gaffe-prone Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) Chairman Yoshiro Mori, 83, put his proverbial foot in mouth by declaring that it is unlikely that more women will be allowed to participate in JOC management meetings because “they talk too much, and it’s annoying.” The public reaction was quick and extremely critical of this blatantly sexist remark.
By Thursday morning there were already calls for Mori’s resignation. Barring that, people were demanding that the companies that sponsor the Olympics should force Mori to accept responsibility and resign. Almost immediately the hashtag “Mori, resign” was trending on Twitter Japan.
One of the most high-profile public protests involves an Olympic torch runner who has declared that he would no longer be participating as a show of protest. Jun Tamura apologized to the people of Inuyama City where he was supposed to carry the torch, but Tamura pledged to resign himself if defiant Mori refuses to resign. To date Tamura’s Tweet has received almost 55,000 likes.
As of earlier today more than 100,000 people from across the country have signed a petition calling for Mori’s resignation.
Situations like this are often written off in Japan along the lines of “Oh, what can you do? He’s an old man.” Many almost unconsciously mutter the multi-purpose excuse “shikata ga nai” (仕方がない) or “there is nothing that we can do about it.” This time seems, however, different. Mori is the highest ranking official of the JOC and, therefore, a key representative of Japan at the Olympics. His behavior is simply unacceptable.
This was not the first time that Mori, a former prime minister, has made the headlines for the wrong reasons.
On Thursday Mori was forced to apologize for his insensitive comment, but his perfunctory remarks simply did not seem sincere. He described his sexist remark as being “inappropriate.”
As actions speak louder than words, calls for Mori’s resignation came in from across the country. Politicians, Olympic athletes, and the general public were simply not satisfied with Mori’s seemingly fake contrition. Despite the complaints, Mori has yet to step down.
The current prime minister of Japan gave him a scolding last Thursday night but stopped short of publicly castigating him for his inflammatory statement. It was, apparently, just a slap on the back of the wrist.
At least one member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is voicing her concern about this news, but the organization’s official stance almost appears as if the IOC has sanctioned Mori’s behavior. They issued a curt, official response: “Mori has apologized; Discussion on this matter is closed.” Prime Minister Suga’s Chief of Staff Katsunobu Kato quickly dismissed further need for discourse by subsequently announcing that the “IOC leadership has spoken, and the matter has been settled.” Thus, it seems like the powers-that-be have no interest in censuring Mori. They just want “to sweep the controversy under the rug,” let things blow over, and move on.
At the very least it has been reported in the Japanese media that members of Mori’s own family including his wife, his daughter, and granddaughter thoroughly chastised him at home.
Why does this sort of thing keep happening in Japan?
The squabble surrounding JOC Chairman Mori is hardly anything new—especially considering his advanced age and gender. Why was he tapped to become the chairman of the JOC in the first place? Some say that it was because there was nobody besides Mori, famous for his role as the former head of Japan’s national rugby association, who was qualified for the position. Really?
Mori was selected because he was a “card carrying member” of the old boys network involving the promotion of sports in Japan. Mori was chosen to lead the JOC like how Japan’s ruling elite in government seem to be selected from a limited pool of elderly members of certain political factions where deference to age and status often weigh more heavily than ability and merit. Thus, despite telltale signs including his disastrous, brief tenure as prime minister of the country, most likely Mori got the job at the JOC because he had “paid his dues” over the years—decades in this case--and it was his turn.
The pool of candidates probably did not include any women. This is really not all that surprising, considering the ongoing challenges that women in leadership roles have in Japan. The relatively low public status of women stubbornly remains part of a broader problem throughout Japanese society.
In a widely cited study by the World Economic Forum called “Global Gender Gap Report 2020” Japan ranked 121 out of 153 nations in terms of gender equality. That abysmal score was actually 11% lower than the results of the previous survey conducted in 2018. Thus, the problem is significant and systemic. The trend is, moreover, heading in the wrong direction.
What can be done to prevent problems in the future?
It is highly unlikely that much more will be done to censure Mori other than continuing to pressure him to resign. Maybe he will be persuaded and make room for an up-and-coming female leader to take his place. Don’t hold your breath. Any attempts at addressing gender discrimination in Japan will, undoubtedly, take time. Meaningful change will require a serious attitude adjustment by all citizens of the country. There are, however, a few specific actions which may be helpful in the meantime.
Search for and Encourage Emulation of Role Models from Abroad: Just like the recent advances made by women in the NFL and professional baseball, there are many examples of successful women all over the world who have become leaders in a wide range of enterprises. There are, of course, a few high-profile, home-grown models within Japan’s borders, as well. None of them probably had it easy to overcome systemic barriers, but they collectively possess the kind of experience that would be helpful for future generations of leaders in Japan.
Mandate Quotas: Wherever possible, businesses, organizations such as the JOC, and other groups should establish clear, numerical goals to increase participation by women. At a press conference following Mori’s remark, Cabinet Minister of Justice Yoko Kamikawa commented “Japanese society is trying to increase the ratio of women in leadership positions to 30% in various fields. I am worried, though, that Mori’s statement will blunt efforts to encourage this sort of improvement.” Perhaps a more appropriate, long-term goal would be 50%, but for Japan the aspirational goal of 30% is still relatively challenging. Kamikawa is correct that Mori’s sexist, off-the-cuff comment may slow progress. That is why this type of goal needs to be codified whenever possible.
Encourage Younger Japanese to Become More Engaged and Demand Representation: While deference to one’s elders is deeply ingrained in Japanese culture, now is the time for Japan’s younger generations—both women and men—to become empowered and take a clue from the famous 1976 film Network. It’s time for them to stand up and yell “I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!” Young leaders then need to take action to retire the Chairman Mori-s of the world and take over for these relics of a bygone era.
Perhaps I am naïve even to think that these ideas could really be implemented in Japan. Times are, however, changing. The old guard is literally dying off. Younger generations have the potential to demand, fight for, and achieve gender equality.
So, as you watch the Super Bowl…
From the vantage point of your couch try to spot Sarah Thomas. On Sunday she will become the first female to officiate in a Super Bowl.
I certainly hope that Mori and others like him will take notice. Japan needs more people like Sarah Thomas to take leadership roles at all levels in Japanese society.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/02/04/national/yoshiro-mori-women-comment/
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210205/k10012851031000.html
Update as of 18 FEB 2021 (THR) at 17:00 pm (JST): Seiko Hashimoto has been approved as president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee to succeed Yoshiro Mori. Well, that took a while. She certainly has a lot of work to do!
Update as of 12 FEB 2021 (FRI) at 19:00 pm (JST): What a mess! It turns out that Kawabuchi, the mayor of the Olympic Village, has now turned down the JOC's offer to succeed Mori. No big surprise here, but the reason was that he realized that he would not be a good choice given the circumstances, his age, and his gender. In typical Japanese style, a committee will now be formed to determine an appropriate successor to Mori. One of the top candidates is, apparently, Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto. She is a seven-time Olympian and pioneering female lawmaker. Her first name is based on the Japanese words for the Olympic flame. Ms. Hashimoto was born just days before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics opened. She certainly sounds like a well qualified candidate from a variety of angles. In any case, the JOC had better hire a new PR firm after this fiasco.