Feb 17 (Japan Times) - Seiko Hashimoto, the Cabinet minister in charge of the Tokyo Games and a former Olympic athlete, has emerged as the Tokyo Organising Committee’s sole candidate to replace Yoshiro Mori, who stepped down last week over his sexist remarks, media reports said Wednesday.
The organizing committee’s selection committee is expected to ask Hashimoto to accept the position after a third and final meeting Thursday, but it is unclear if she will accept the role. Hashimoto has said on multiple occasions that she is not interested in leaving her current position to replace Mori, the 83-year-old former prime minister who said during a meeting earlier this month that women are competitive and talk too much.
Several names were floated as the candidate selection panel held meetings Tuesday and Wednesday. On the first day, the organizing committee said it would choose a single candidate based on five criteria: a deep knowledge of the Olympic and Paralympic Games; an understanding of its principles concerning gender, inclusivity and diversity; work experience; knowledge of the Tokyo Games; and management skills.
The selection panel, chaired by honorary chairman Fujio Mitarai, is slated to hold another meeting Thursday.
