390 Tokyo Olympic volunteers quit after Mori's sexist remarks

In my 30 years in Japan, it's been my experience in meetings to see men talking far more than women. Mori is from a generation where women are to be seen, not heard.

@Simian Lane

At least, those volunteers have a moral compass and the heart at the right place unlike some old men and followers of such outdated views. Good luck hoping for sporting events to function well with a shortage of volunteers.

Sack Mori already.

the organizing committee's call center received around 350 phone calls and 4,200 emails in a five-day span following the comments

For anyone here, looking to comment negatively towards Mori, it would be much better to instead direct your time and attention to emailing (or calling) the organizing committee so as to more effectively utilize your comment.

Their the Tokyo committee contact page is here:

https://tokyo2020.org/en/utilities/contact-us

The volunteers have no influence. Mori does. And that's sad because the volunteers do it out of love of the Olympics. Mori does it out of the .... he forgets.

Good start... now just a few thousand more and they might care a tiny bit. They'll still shrug and prove why Japan is near dead last in gender equality rankings by allowing Mori to stay, but at least they'd get a "regrettable" out of them.

They might want to confirm with their volunteers if they are still going to participate rather than just assuming. The personal costs of volunteering and safety rules would have only increased

The great part about volunteering is that you can just walk out if the administration isn't listening, and that's the case here. Also the part that includes a fate worse than death is not an excuse, it's a very good reason.

Just as well they quit. No one should work for free. Especially not for the Olympics, where organizers and big businesses make lots of money by exploiting athletes and spectators.

In present Japanese society, There are even "criticism" against international criticism to sexist remarks of Mori.

Far-right Sankei newspaper calls criticism to Mori as bullying, one nationalist TV influencer shows sympathy to Mori, other commentator called criticism to Mori as "intolerance".

Present Japan's prime minister Suga and ruling party LDP hesitate to even criticize Mori.

This is shameful actual state of Olympics 2020 host country.

Just for the record, to apologize in Japan means to bow one's head deeply. Mori did not do that, he read from a prepared statement. Further, he cut off several of the female reporters in his press interview, and he was also arrogant and did not show any regret or contrition.

Oh and this morning's news reported that it was 440 who have withdrawn!

The LDP leadership is rallying the troops behind Mori, even to the point of saying that the volunteers who quit, did so out of a "knee jerk" reaction, and once things "blow over" they will return, or the committee will just put a request for more volunteers.

390 Tokyo Olympic volunteers quit after Mori's sexist remarks

Good for them, they're not prepared to tolerate intolerance.

According to that Sunday Kyodo poll only 6.8% of those asked feel Mori is qualified to head the JOC and only 14.5% feel the Olympics should go ahead. If those were support numbers for a politician he/she would be removed from office immediately.

@James

You are splitting hairs. 130,000 or 150,000 doesn't make any difference. It's still around 1% of the population.

Why is it so low? Why do so few female volunteers resign?

only 150,000 people out of 120 million signed the petition, and less than 500 volunteers out of 80,000 pulled out. We are in the 1% range

Great point, so less than 1% are against Mori while the rest are supportive, goes to show what sort of culture there is here

390 Heroes

Nikai says Japanese voters have short memories so nothing really matters.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/02/09/national/nikai-mori-olympics-ldp/

Invalid CSRF

The 83-year-old former prime minister apologized the following day but has resisted calls for his resignation.

Resistance for resignation has effect now.

390 Tokyo Olympic volunteers quit after Mori's sexist remarks

Volunteering is not going to Help pay them their bills

Last Friday, I would have bet my last shirt that the pressure on Mori would leave him with no other option than resigning. Still hope he will but not so sure anymore. In the end, after so much media and SNS coverage, only 150,000 people out of 120 million signed the petition, and less than 500 volunteers out of 80,000 pulled out. We are in the 1% range... I am relatively new in Japan so I am not sure why the general public's reaction is so weak...

What the posters in here seem to miss is that even if the Olympics are held in July, there will be a glut of volunteers to attend to the vastly reduced turnout. And if it's not held, then it's all moot.

From the tens of thousands of volunteers that were planned to participate 390 seems a terribly low number, I guess helping an event to promote equality was not an important reason for most of the volunteers.

Hats off to volunteers everywhere, the games or many events worldwide would never happen without them.

If the government leaders back Mori because of his connections, begs to wonder what ties or leads he has on them.

Good, but way too few. The prestige of the games seems to overshadow everything from the fact that volunteers work for free to make others richer to the reality that those in charge are spineless bigots.

Seems to me like they're just looking for some attention that they won't get anyway by such childish acts.

why you cant force volunteers to do anything, I wouldnt volunteer for the ultimate super spreader event

If you are going to quit, it might as well be for something that is not going to happen anyway....

Give the guy a break.

And allow him to behave like a total self-entitled jerk while we should have "pity" on him? No thanks.

Let him stay - he is the perfect symbol of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics - a dinosaur way past the sell-by date; still shuffling forward, deaf, tone deaf, arrogant and out of touch; incapable of reflection, changing course or facing reality; neck-deep in cronyism; leaving the meter running even though the passengers are heading for the hills. Who needs a mascot when you've got Mori. You get out there Mori, and show the world what these Tokyo Games are really about!

Japanese Labour law is good at protecting permanent employees from termination. But not sure if sexist statement is grounds for termination here in Japan.

This scandal of sexism and calumny may have legs and, even though Mori still refuses to fall on his sword, he might well be cancelled before the Tokyo Olympics.

I'll tell you, the more women that leave, the more men will follow. Who wants to volunteer for a social gathering like this if there are only men? No one wants that!

Good going Mori, alienating an entire sex. What's next? Rip on the young people? Put kids on blast? Who will you anger next with your ignorance?

"you know in my day...............HEY you kids, get off my lawn!!!!!!!!!"

Let's face it, many real volunteers, who are all paying their own expenses, will be people who fully buy into everything about the Olympics. They will be all be people who already dismiss all the stories about bribes, rigged bids, copyright infringing logos, 200% budget over-runs, cr@p mascots, and marathon-in-Sapporo fiascos. The fact that 400 are drawing the line at this is significant. A huge proportion of them are never going to quit because they are too deep into it already.

fwiw, I do not consider pressganged workers at sponsors or university students desperate for something to write on their cv (quasi-interns), none of whom will be quitting, as "real volunteers".

JUST BAD FOR THE JOB

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This is not the number that matter but whom in the volunteers resigned.

This is like genocide, you can kill a million and loose a war because the heroes were not in the death toll and win one by killing one (sorry but this is colonial extreme right logic science, I always feel important to remember when someone tell they don't kill anymore for power or in power).

Here Mori can't rule over the game. A woman hater have natural loopole on international level. You will have weaker security against terrorisme, and many other flow they will use because of the woman hating side.

Example : trash is a woman job, so trash system during olympic will be a weaker point. Street won't stay clean. Personal will not be well manage and for the one the boss hate because he is too poor for bigger job. And the only security mesure will be to be a rich man on important job. This is always the same.

The scandal is his resignation sheet. Everyone know he is a woman hater so we have the security structures inside the olympic game organisation. We know it will be weak on anything woman associate and human associate. This is why he can't stay. He was not up enough for the job but worse, now, every olympic and terrorist wanting to make a name knows it.

Now, we need a women to repare what was broken in the structures and fast. Trash is problem in Olympic megapoles because they are not use to the numbers, but for Tokyo ? So many foreigners ? Against structure of a man that normaly don't appreciate foreigners too if he is a woman hater ? And the paraOlympic ? He doesn't like women, he will have illed manage the handicap games and those will left on purpuse so if there is terrorist they use the weaker door that will not damage the country reputation.

Mori have against his father and all the world women hater forefathers. He was not made for the job that is there is to say ! We can't trust him anymore for anything game related !

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NadAge

These volunteers don’t realise they are actually doing the organisation a favour by redrawing. With no foreign fans, less press, VIPs etc they can do with 20.000 less volunteers and if they could really organize, 15000 to 20.000 wouldbe plenty.

organisers save on their clothing, training and expenses.

In my 30 years in Japan, it's been my experience in meetings to see men talking far more than women.

Isn't that remark just as sexist as Mori's? BTW, I don't disagree with it....

Nikai says Japanese voters have short memories so nothing really matters.

No, he is saying the volunteers are just upset and will change their minds when they "calm down". And "if they want to quit, we'll just get new ones". It's as contemptuous and insincere as Mori's apology.

If you read Japanese, the most liked comment on the Yahoo Japan story about this calls for both Mori and Nikai to quit.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/615176cb0d876ed1ec10ceae27d47c702c6c89ae/comments

why? Were they volunteering for an international event or for Mori?

It's called protesting. Volunteers quitting will put more pressure/stress on the organizers, which will make them force Mori to quit.

Mr Mori should have finished his job last year, but due to the delay he is still at the helm. He's 83 a figurehead only and battling a very serious illness.

Give the guy a break.

@Nasakenai

Don't think that the 99% are supportive. Probably and hopefully only a very small minority is. For.the others, they could also:

be "afraid" of speaking out

have bigger problems in life right now

disagree with Mori but still want the Olympics to happen

be disillusioned and think nothing will change, whatever they do

be ok with the overall status quo in terms of gender equality in the country

@bobcatfish

390 Tokyo Olympic volunteers use Mori's sexist remarks as an excuse to quit

And you are a female volunteer as well?

Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.

Where is the good example or social responsibility and respect referred to in this statement from the olympics website that Mori expressed when he said "women tend to talk too much in meetings" Even though you and he may think what was said was nothing more than a simple comment but it implies a whole lot and can be read in many ways If I was a volunteer I would have walked out as well

@Pim

only 150,000 people out of 120 million signed the petition

No that was the number of signatures they wanted to get so far it stands at about 130,000 signed

http://chng.it/WtCmwJPrCJ

and less than 500 volunteers out of 80,000 pulled out.

That is so far but they do have a 120,000 additional volunteers that they may be able to ask to come in as their was 200,000 people who applied to be a volunteer.

390 Tokyo Olympic volunteers use Mori's sexist remarks as an excuse to quit