Osaka mayor draws criticism after saying women are slow shoppers

Apr 24, 2020 | News On Japan

Apr 24, 2020 (Reuters) - The mayor of the western Japanese city Osaka came under fire on social media on Friday after saying women take longer than men shopping for groceries as he tried to promote social distancing to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the city.

By Friday morning there were nearly 1,500 coronavirus cases in Osaka and the prefecture that surrounds it, making it the second hardest-hit after Tokyo, national broadcaster NHK said.

Japanâ€™s government has declared a nationwide state of emergency at least through May 6 in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

In Osaka, Mayor Ichiro Matsui has been appealing to people to take steps to reduce the risk of virus infections, but his remarks over gender shopping behaviour stirred controversy.

â€œWhen a woman goes... it will take time,â€ Matsui said when asked by a male reporter about possibly reducing shoppersâ€™ entry to supermarkets to lower the risk of coronavirus infections.

â€œIf it was you, if you were told to get this or that, then you would go directly... and go home,â€ he said. â€œItâ€™s also fine for men to go shopping while avoiding contact.â€

Matsui, who also said married couples should avoid going shopping together, drew criticism on Japanese Twitter over his remarks, with users saying they were sexist.

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