TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister SUGA Yoshihide on Thursday appointed Tamayo Marukawa, a lawmaker of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as minister for this summer’s Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games to succeed Seiko Hashimoto.

Suga approved the same day Hashimoto’s resignation from the cabinet as she became new president of the games’ organizing committee to replace Yoshiro Mori, who on Friday resigned over his derogatory remarks about women earlier this month.

Marukawa, 50, former minister for the Tokyo Games, assumed the ministerial post with an attestation ceremony at the Imperial Palace later on Thursday. She doubles as minister for gender equality.

On Hashimoto becoming president of the organizing committee, Suga told reporters that he wants her to “make all-out efforts to hold the games safely and securely so that the events will be welcomed by the people of Japan and around the world.” He also expressed the government’s readiness to offer full-fledged support.

The prime minister also showed his hope that Marukawa will work to “realize safe and secure games with a youthful idea as a woman.”

Earlier in the day, Hashimoto, 56, submitted to Suga a notice of resignation from the ministerial post. The prime minister later told Marukawa of his decision to appoint her to succeed Hashimoto.

The Olympic Charter calls for the chief of an Olympics organizing committee to be politically neutral.

At a news conference to announce her assumption of the post of president of the Tokyo Games organizing committee, Hashimoto stopped short of clarifying whether she will leave the LDP.

Meanwhile, she said she will not resign as a member of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, noting that she has obtained understanding from the International Olympic Committee and other related organizations for her plan to serve concurrently as the committee’s president and a lawmaker.

The Japanese cabinet’s ministerial code of conduct bans a minister from doubling as a staff member or executive at a public interest corporation.

Through the appointment of Marukawa to the post of Tokyo Games minister because of her experience in the portfolio, the government and the ruling camp hope to minimize the impact of the ministerial change on deliberations at the ongoing regular Diet session.

The number of female ministers in Suga’s cabinet remains two. The other is Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa.

“What matters most are countermeasures against the novel coronavirus,” Marukawa told a news conference Thursday night, referring to the Tokyo Games.

“We can’t obtain understanding from the people for holding the games unless the countermeasures are perfect,” she said, adding that cooperation with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is very significant.

Marukawa has been elected to the Upper House three times from the Tokyo constituency. She has also served as environment minister. Before starting her political career, Marukawa worked as an anchor for a commercial broadcaster.

She will resign as head of the LDP’s Public Relations Headquarters as she joined the cabinet.

JIJI Press