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    Prime Minister Takaichi to skips the award ceremony in the sumo ring, respecting the tradition of sumo where women are not allowed
    Japan

    Prime Minister Takaichi to skips the award ceremony in the sumo ring, respecting the tradition of sumo where women are not allowed


    A government official revealed this on the 12th that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has personally decided to forgo entering the sumo ring to present the Prime Minister's Cup to the winning sumo wrestler at the awards ceremony for the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, which concludes on the 25th. She has decided that the traditional culture of "no women allowed in the ring" should be respected. The practice of banning women from the ring has been criticized as discriminatory against women.

    https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/461498?rct=politics

    View 11 Comments

    11 Comments

    2. Polar_Beach on

      I mean there was also a time when women weren’t allowed to vote but she’s not respecting that I guess

    4. ClessxAlghazanth on

      配慮するとこがちゃうんやろが

      So,would she please resign as a PM which is traditionally a mens thing in Japan

    6. laurent_ipsum on

      The guy on the far right (ha) didn’t get the memo that manspreading is mandatory in front-row sumo seats.

    7. Asa_Ayase on

      As a huge sumo fan. If she had any courage she’d take the trophy away from the JSA and tell them if they want to award the Prime Ministers Cup then they must allow the Prime Minister to present it. If they want to act like Neanderthals then treat them like Neanderthals. If they want to act like adults then they can be treated like adults. Insane this kind of sexism still exists in 2026. Not shocking though considering the sport essentially banished its greatest and most successful athlete of all time for something it lets its other coaches get away with routinely (bullying). A guy who is now on the war path to modernize the sport from the outside which includes bringing women into the sport. Completely unsurprising headline though since this is Japan we’re talking about.

    10. ponpiriri on

      That looks like a beautiful ceremony. Anyway, this isn’t a big deal, but Takaichi is great with her PR.

    11. KitchenMud5443 on

      Women don’t need to be in everything men do and vice versa. She made the right choice to respect the tradition.

      There are still women sumo clubs and competitions, which is a fair trade off for keeping a part of culture.

      Equality doesn’t mean forcing everyone to do everything, it means equal opportunity to do x thing and no one is stopping women from making their own clubs…