Kawabuchi Likely To Succeed Mori For Tokyo Games
A former chairman of Japan's professional soccer league, Kawabuchi Saburo, will likely replace Mori Yoshiro as president of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee.
Sources say Mori met Kawabuchi in Tokyo on Thursday after deciding to resign over his controversial comments on women, and asked him to take the post.
Kawabuchi later told reporters that he would do his best for a successful Games if he is chosen as president.
Mori has been in hot water after saying in a Council meeting of the Japanese Olympic Committee on February 3 that board meetings attended by many women drag on too long because they talk too much.
He apologized and retracted the comments the next day, but has faced criticism at home and abroad.
Mori has conveyed his decision to step down to take responsibility to officials concerned. The resignation comes with only about five months to go before the scheduled opening of the Olympics.
Kawabuchi, who was the first chairman of soccer's J-League, is 84 years old. He has also served as president of the Japan Football Association and of the Japan Basketball Association.
He now heads the Japan Top League, a federation of sport associations in Japan.
For the Tokyo Games organizing committee, he serves as chair of the group of councilors. During the Games he was expected to serve as the head of athletes' village.