Japan

2 Scandals about Tokyo Olympic Organising Committee President (explained by a local blogger!)

“One misfortune comes on the tail of another.” – I just looked up this proverb in my English dictionary.

You’ve already seen the inappropriate comments of the Organising Committee President Mori on TV, haven’t you? It was totally a DISASTER after Tokyo 2020 was postponed for the first time in the Olympic history. He was a blizzard to make the world frozen. In Tokyo, more than 700 volunteers have quitted. The new coronavirus was a misfortune and Mori was another!

By the way, did you know that, in Japanese locals’ mind, Mori is an incredibly problematic politician from the beginning? Perhaps your country’s newspapers referred to his profile and past, but I’m not sure they described them fully… So I’d like to talk about Japanese locals’ REAL feelings about the politicians at issue.

Scandal 1: Former President Mori’s Incredible Past

You might wonder, “What kind of man is he?” when you saw Mori’s inappropriate comments on TV.

In fact, he is known to be like “assorted problems” among Japanese people. You’ll see it soon.

Yoshiro Mori: Politician (1937 – )

Hmm… 83 years old. You thought he’s VERY old, didn’t you?

Beside his age, it’s important to consider that he was born before World War 2. It means so much in Japan – it means he experienced Japanese fascism in his childhood.

Born in a small town

He was born in 1937, and then, where is he from?

He was born and grew up in Nomi in Ishikawa Prefecture – it’s a small snowy town in the north.

The problem is that he was a bully at the local elementary and junior high school. Unfortunately, this is not just a rumor – he recalls so himself. He doesn’t even try to hide his past as a bully. According to HIM, his teachers often scolded him for his bad doings.

When he grew up, he tried to play rugby at Uni in Tokyo. But he gave it up in 4 months after he joined the team because he couldn’t follow his teammates… He still says he loves sports and he was at the chair of Japan’s rugby organization, but actually, rugby is a bitter memory for him to be twisted.

After he graduated from Uni, he decided to become a politician. Normally, people tend to encourage ambitious youngsters, but I think this was the beginning of the disaster…

Dark Rumor about How Mori Became Prime Minister

Mori gradually became successful in Liberal Democrats (the biggest political party in Japan, but you should note that its origin is the pre-war fascist party) and experienced 3 minister positions. When he was 63 years old, he caught a life-changing opportunity.

In April, 2000, Prime Minister Obuchi suddenly became ill and passed away. Mori was the man who rose as the new prime minister.

But there is a dark rumor about the process… Want to hear the story?

Mori insists that Former Prime Minister Obuchi told Aoki (Mori’s fellow) to be the temporary PM before he lost consciousness. The point is that nobody witnessed this scene except his 4 fellows and himself. So it’s possible that Obuchi was already unconscious at the point he was carried to the hospital and Mori made up Obuchi’s last words to take over from him!

No one can tell this dark story is true or not, but anyway, Mori was criticized of being like Kremlin (meaning the decision was made as secretly as Soviet) by medias including foreign newspapers.

Japanese Prime Minister (4 July, 2000 – 26 April, 2001)

So Mori’s ambition finally came true, but his cabinet didn’t last for a year! He was at power only for  297 days and had to leave so soon.

Why was his time so short? I’ll explain it below.

Extremely Inappropriate Comment as a Prime Minister

When Mori was becoming the next Prime Minister of Japan, he made “a slip of the tongue” saying, “Japan is god’s country where the emperor is at the center”.

…Japanese citizens got frozen to hear his comment because this is exactly the Japanese fascists’ thought during World War 2. Mori got criticisms that he deserves from common citizens, his political opponents and even fellow politicians.

Of course, it became a very serious international problem with Asian countries, too. Germans got frozen as well because they know so well what it means.

This is the beginning of the end of him as a prime minister. (Officially he was not the prime minister yet. He was ending before starting!)

Golfing during a Tragedy and International Affair

In Mori’s first February as a prime minister, a human error disaster took place in Hawaii.

The American Navy’s nuclear submarine hit the Japanese ship Ehime-maru where the fishery high school students were practicing their skills in the foreign ocean. Ehime-maru sank. 4 students and 5 teachers died.

When the panic and horror and tragedy happened to the innocent high school students, Mori was golfing.

Mori’s approval rating was only 9% when least. This was the national worst record and he still keeps it. Can you imagine that your PM’s approval rating goes down to less than 10%?

The golfing holiday was the end of him as a prime minister. His first February was his last February. He had to leave the PM’s office in April.

20 Years Have Passed. His Last February Again.

So the above is Mori’s life that everyone knows in Japan. I’m happy (happy??) if you were able to learn Japanese locals’ REAL feelings about him. Mori is known to be a man who made people frozen again and again by a “slip of tongue” and arrogant behaviors like a bully in a village of old times.

20 years have passed since his memorable GOLF in February. He made another “slip of tongue”, made people ALL OVER THE WORLD frozen and stepped down from the chair of President. This was his last February again.

Scandal 2: Do You Think New President Hashimoto is Perfect?

Then, Japanese Olympic-related organizations and IOC needed to find someone who takes over from him. We want someone fantastic to recover the destroyed images about the Olympic Games, don’t we?

Then, Seiko Hashimoto, the former Olympic Minister, was spotlighted. She is a woman (as you see), a bronze medalist in speed skating in Albertville and participated in 7 Olympic Games. After she retired, she worked as the president of Japan Skating Federation. What’s more, not only skating, she became a summer Olympic athlete as a bicycle racer!

You may think, “Wow! She’s a perfect person to take over the old-time bully!”

But I must point out a FATAL PROBLEM about her.

Back in 2014, Hashimoto kissed a Japanese male figure skater against his will after Sochi Olympic Games.

Yes, it’s a freezing sexual harassment. Frankly, Hashimoto has been unpopular among Japanese locals. Did you know? Japanese people see her as a men-loving empress ruling the skating world.

Mori had to resign because of his sexuality-related inappropriate comments. Can a person of sexual harassment be a right person to take over from him?! NEVER!

IOC realized Hashimoto’s scandal in the past and considered it to be a problem. Japanese medias and people did, too.

But the discussions were held behind the curtain and when we realized, Hashimoto was chosen as the new president.

You may think, “Why was it Kremlin again? Mori has gone!” I know the secret. Hashimoto has been a politician, and actually, she belongs to Mori’s group.

…Winter still lasts.

Where is a Normal Person to be the President?

I just wrote that I couldn’t predict how the Olympic Games would go last month. But I NEVER thought that a BLIZZARD would hit Tokyo in February!

Personally, I want a normal person for the chair of Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee President. Not an old-time bully in a village. Not an empress. Just being normal is precious. And it’s enough to recover the crushed dignity of Tokyo, Japan and Olympic Games.

“One misfortune comes on the tail of another.” The blizzard made the world frozen – including Tokyo local volunteers who once had passion for the Olympic Games even under COVID-19. It’s becoming more difficult than ever to predict whether the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games would be held or not.

Read MORE about Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

World’s First Review of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Stadium! – I entered the brand new stadium when nobody imagined the Olympic Games would be postponed!

The Olympic Flame Exhibition at Japan Olympic Museum – I went to see the Olympic Flame last autumn.

My Tokyo 2021 January – How Is the NEW Olympic Year Going in Japan? – I wrote I couldn’t predict how it would go at all in January. I merely thought I would write an article like this in February!

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