Takaichi May Not Step into Sumo Ring

Tokyo, Nov. 11 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may not step into the ring during a closing ceremony of a grand sumo tournament, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara indicated on Tuesday. “The prime minister wishes to respect sumo tradition and culture,” Kihara said at a press conference when asked whether Takaichi intends to present a Prime Minister’s Cup to the winner of the makuuchi top division of professional sumo in person. Under current sumo traditions, women are not allowed in the ring. Past prime ministers often presented the trophy in person while in the ring. Whether Takaichi, the first female prime minister in Japanese history, will do so in the closing ceremony of the ongoing Kyushu grand tournament in Fukuoka, a city in southwestern Japan, is drawing keen attention. “The government has not yet made a decision on the matter,” Kihara said. “We will consider an appropriate response based on the prime minister’s will,” he said. If Takaichi does not present the cup, someone will take her place. In 1990, Mayumi Moriyama, the first woman to serve as chief cabinet secretary, proposed that she present the trophy on behalf of the prime minister, but the Japan Sumo Association rejected the offer. In the 2000s, Fusae Ota, then female governor of Osaka Prefecture, hoped to present the governor’s award during a local grand tournament, but that did not occur. Takaichi’s immediate predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, a male prime minister, presented the trophy in person during the closing ceremony of the New Year’s grand tournament in Tokyo in January. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]