TOKYO: The European Union’s representative office in Tokyo and the embassies of some EU member countries in the Japanese capital tweeted support for gender equality, apparently in response to sexist remarks by Yoshiro Mori, president of the Tokyo Games organizing committee.

The Twitter posts with hashtags such as “DontBeSilent” and “GenderEquality” do not directly mention Mori’s remarks. But they are accompanied by photographs of staff members raising their hands, sarcastically reacting to what the Tokyo Games chief said: “Meetings of boards of directors with a lot of women take so much time. With a strong sense of rivalry, they rush to speak up after one person raise his or her hand.”

The movement is believed to have been initiated by the German Embassy in Tokyo led by Ambassador Ina Lepel, with the embassy’s Twitter post on the matter getting over 40,000 likes by Saturday evening.

Countries whose embassies in Tokyo joined the initiative and posted similar photos on Twitter include Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

The remarks by Mori, made at a Japanese Olympic Committee gathering Wednesday, have also drawn considerable criticism from overseas on Twitter.

Hayley Wickenheiser, a Canadian former ice hockey player and a member of the International Olympic Committee, tweeted: “Definitely going to corner this guy at the breakfast buffet. See ya in Tokyo!!”

Nathalie Loiseau from France, who serves as a member of the European Parliament, tweeted in French that two words would be sufficient for Mori: Shut up.

JIJI Press