Never one to hold his tongue, Mori Yoshiro, head of the Japanese Olympic Committee, found himself in hot water yesterday, when he voiced his opposition to increasing female participation in executive meetings, claiming that women “have difficulty” speaking concisely. After his colleagues snickered, Mori doubled down, claiming that though there are “seven women at the organizing committee, everyone understands their place.”
For now, let’s put aside the multitude of ways in which sexism prevails in Japan, and take a closer look at an earlier, misogynist gaffe of Mori Yoshiro during his political career.
One might think this examination is a mere redundancy, especially since it happens so often in Japanese politics–and often with impunity. But keep in mind that Mori is also a former Prime Minister. Since he left office in 2001, he has had plenty of time to broaden his perspective. And yet he apparently has chosen not to.
“Tax Burdens”
Though his Wikipedia page has a treasure trove of quotes and incidents, one quote that seems to have flown under the radar is from July 2003, while attending a debate in Kagoshima City about child-rearing and the declining birthrate:
子どもを一人もつくらない女性が、…自由を謳歌して楽しんで、年取って…税金で面倒見なさいというのは、本当におかしいですよ.
-Mori Yushiro, former Prime Minister of Japan\
“Isn’t it strange how a woman can have no children, revels in her freedom, grows old, and then becomes a tax burden?”
That same year, Mori received the Golden Pheasant Award from the Scouts Association of Japan–the highest award an adult can receive for “meritorious service”. At first glance, it can seem to be an obligatory award, as he was the 8th Prime Minister to receive the award. But it does cause one to question why the Scouts Association, an organization built on being “faithful, friendly and courteous”, would want to be associated with those who are consistently capable of crass remarks.
A Sort of Apology
It’s more than clear that in the past 20 years, Mori and similarly-minded colleagues have made no efforts to bridge the gap between genders. When such efforts are announced, it seems to be done begrudgingly or at a snail’s pace, as evidenced by the mixed results of former PM Abe’s Womenomics campaign.
Circling back to his recent Olympic executive remarks, Mori and his colleagues lack perspective on why a woman might take a long time to get to the point during a meeting. Passive communication is ideal in Japanese society, and for women, even more so. It doesn’t take much to figure out that, for some women, this may carry over into executive settings.
In a just-published piece on Asahi Shinbun, Iki Midori, wrote about her time serving on the board of Japan’s Rugby Association under chairman…Mori Yoshiro. Iki reports being surprised by Mori’s comments, as she was brought on to the Rugby association despite not knowing anything about rugby. At the time, Mori told her he valued her experience as an outsider.
森さんの発言に対して、笑いが起きたと報じられました。私も笑う側でした。男女雇用機会均等法以前に社会に出た世代。男社会の中で女性は自分一人だけという場が多く、笑うしか選択肢がなかった。笑いを笑いで受け流していた。でも声をあげないといけなかった。一緒になって笑ってしまったことが、日本がいまだに「ジェンダーギャップ（男女格差）指数121位」にいる一因だと、いま学生を前に反省しています。男女関係なく「おかしい」と声をあげる社会に変えていかないといけません。
There are reports that there was laughter at Mori’s comments. I used to be one of the laughers. I’m from the generation that entered the workforce before the Equal Employment Opportunity Law. There were many occasions when I was the only woman in a male society and I had no choice but to laugh. We were able to pass off laughter as laughter. But I had to speak up. Now, in front of my students, I reflect on the fact that I laughed along with them, and that this is one of the reasons why Japan still ranks 121st in the Gender Gap Index. We need our society to become one where people, regardless of gender, speak up and say, “This is wrong.”
This isn’t to express pity. Plenty of Japanese women have discussed and taken notes of the “glass ceiling” that exists in their society and the toxic discussions surrounding it. This is more so to look at the bigger picture, and why performative campaigns of feminism will prove fruitless if both society and top government officials reinforce bigotry and are rewarded for it.
In the face of calls for his resignation, Mori has since apologized for his comments, claiming that he had “no intention to disrespect women.” Though he “must [carry] out his responsibility”, he’ll resign if the dissent grows large enough.
Mori could very well indeed resign from running an event that the public is growing increasingly disinterested in. Unfortunately, if his hypothetical replacement harbors the same sexist beliefs, then the overall gesture will be moot.
