Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Demonstrators gathered in front of the Olympic Stadium on Thursday and held up placards denouncing Yoshiro Mori in a “silent” protest against the Tokyo Olympics chief.

Mori is expected to resign on Friday after making remarks about women that were viewed by many as sexist and have caused anger both at home and abroad.

After a petition gathered 150,000 signatures calling for Mori’s resignation, he apologized but didn’t offer to step down. Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka was among those who criticized Mori.

One protester outside Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium said that there are many older people in Japan who think like Mori and that if women do not speak out against this type of behavior similar situations will arise.

Mori, former rugby player, is a central figure in the world of sport, and many people credit him with the success of the 2019 Men’s Rugby World Cup, which was held in Japan.

On Wednesday, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said she would refuse to attend a meeting involving IOC chief Thomas Bach that had been planned for this month.

The 83-year-old former prime minister reportedly told a Japanese Olympic Committee meeting on Feb. 3, “When you increase the number of female executive members, if their speaking time isn’t restricted to a certain extent, they have difficulty finishing, which is annoying.”