TOKYO OLYMPIC CHIEF YOSHIRO MORI TO QUIT OVER SEXIST REMARKS

Tokyo Olympic chief Yoshiro Mori will resign after making sexist remarks that sparked global outrage, people familiar with the matter said Thursday, resulting in a rare leadership transition with less than six months to go until the opening of the rescheduled games amid the coronavirus pandemic, Kyodo News reported.

Saburo Kawabuchi, an 84-year-old former president of the Japan Football Association, told reporters he is ready to accept a request by the Olympic organizing committee to take over the top job from Mori, a former prime minister.

Mori, 83, is expected to announce his resignation on Friday during a special executive meeting of the organizing committee, arranged to address repercussions from his remarks.

"First of all, I have to apologize for causing trouble and say please take care of the rest of the task. What's important is the success of the Olympics," a person close to Mori quoted him as saying.

But the expected leadership change in the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee -- a handover from an 83-year-old man to an 84-year-old man -- suggests that Japan remains a male-dominated country with elder leaders gripping power in many areas.

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