November 26, 2025

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

On the final day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament in November, the Prime Minister’s Cup for the winner, Ukrainian sumo wrestler Aonishiki, was presented by PM Takaichi Sanae’s male assistant on her behalf.

Reportedly, Takaichi had no intention of presenting the championship cup herself. Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru on November 11 explained, “This reflects her desire to value traditional culture.”

The “traditional culture” to which she refers is the Japan Sumo Association’s stubborn insistence on preserving the “tradition” of barring women from the sumo ring. The association explains the reasons as follows: Sumo originated from folk rituals akin to folk customs, rooted in the simple popular beliefs of the common people; the traditional cultural elements, such as the suspended roof over the ring which derived from Shinto, should be preserved; and that the ring is a sacred place for sumo wrestlers to fight and train. The association in its chair’s 2018 statement states that these reasons do not mean that women are considered impure.

However, none of those reasons can justify preventing women from climbing up onto the ring and presenting the championship cup in an official capacity. The suspended roof would not collapse just because a female prime minister stepped onto the ring. Barring women from even entering the ring constitutes unjustified discrimination.

The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which Japan ratified, requires the State Parties to take all appropriate measures to modify or abolish “customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women”; and to guarantee women’s “right to hold public office and to exercise public functions” on equal terms with men.

The ancient Olympics were religious events honoring gods like Zeus, where athletes competed naked and women were banned from attendance. The first modern Olympics in 1896 also excluded women, but female athletes began participating in the Olympics from the second Games onwards. Women’s sports have since gradually expanded and the number of female competitors increased. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, gender parity was achieved for the first time. Even in sumo, women’s world championships are held annually now.

Traditions and cultures evolve. Takaichi as Japan’s first female prime minister should fulfill her responsibility to eliminate harmful customs and gender discrimination.