BEVERLY HILLS, March 18, (THEWILL) – For the second time in two months, Japanese corporate gender insensitivity has come under international scrutiny.
Hiroshi Sasaki, Creative Head Director of the Tokyo Olympic Games has resigned his position after a derogatory remark about a popular female Japanese entertainer, Naomi Watanabe, in what has become the latest controversy over insensitive remarks towards women to hit organisers of the postponed event.
As creative head, he was responsible for the opening and closing ceremonies at this year’s Games. The comments concerned refer to Sasaki telling a planning group through a group chat that Watanabe could play a role as an “Olympig” during these ceremonies.
The entertainer Watanabe is a popular Japanese comedian, actress, and fashion designer, who boasts an impressive 9.3 million followers on Instagram, rose to prominence after she lip-synced Beyonce’s Dream Girls on a Japanese variety show in 2008.
In his resignation, the Sasaki expressed his contrition for the insensitivity of his remark. The statement, issued through the organisers of the Tokyo Games on Thursday, read in part: “There was a very inappropriate expression in my ideas and remarks. I sincerely apologise to her and people who have felt discomfort with such contents.”
The resignation was swift after the Japanese weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun, based in Tokyo, Japan and famous for its investigative reporting and frequent clashes with the Japanese government, reported his remarks in a Wednesday publication.
The Creative Head said he had told Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto late on Wednesday evening that he would not be continuing in his position. The organisers of the Games said Hashimoto and Chief Executive of Tokyo 2020, Toshiro Muto, were going to address the matter at a news conference on Thursday.
The turmoil this will embroil the organisers in builds on the fact that only last month Yoshiro Mori stepped down from his role as president of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee after saying women talked too much, as reported by THEWILL.
The former president Mori, who is also a former prime minister, was replaced by Hashimoto, an athlete-turned-politician, who has pledged to make gender equality a top priority at the Games going forward.
The now-resigned Sasaki was named head of the creative team in December as Olympic organisers looked to revamp plans for simplified ceremonies after the Tokyo Games were pushed back a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns across the globe.
Tokyo’s Olympic Games are scheduled to take place from Friday, July 23 to Sunday, August 8 while the Paralympics will kickoff on Tuesday, August 24 to Sunday, September 5.
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