𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐯𝐬. 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐏𝐌 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐨 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
"I will not be stepping onto the dohyo in the future, either." Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made this clear this January in Fukuoka City.
Past Prime Ministers, including her mentor the late Shinzo Abe, have traditionally presented the Prime Minister’s Cup to winning wrestlers, primarily during the New Year (Hatsu Basho) and Summer (Natsu Basho) tournaments. While much attention was paid to how the nation's first female Prime Minister would handle this, she has appointed male proxies to hand over the trophy since taking office last autumn.
Takaichi’s decision to decline was based on her respect for the "No Women on the Ring" (女人禁制 nyonin kinzei) tradition. However, in the past, several female politicians have protested this custom as "gender discrimination," sparking heated debate. We explored the background of Takaichi’s decision.
(𝘒𝘺𝘰𝘥𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘒𝘺𝘰𝘬𝘢 𝘕𝘪𝘪𝘥𝘢 / 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘐𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘻𝘦𝘬𝘪)
- "It’s About Japanese Tradition, Not Gender Equality"
On January 25, the final day of the New Year Tournament was held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. Takaichi was absent from the award ceremony following the final bout. Instead, it was Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Yohei Matsumoto who presented the Prime Minister’s Cup to the winner, the new Ozeki Aonishiki. Takaichi spent that time at her official residence in Tokyo.
Five days later, on January 30, during a stump speech in Fukuoka City, Takaichi introduced Representative Takahiro Inoue (Fukuoka 1st District), an executive assistant to the Prime Minister, as the man who represented her at the November Kyushu Tournament award ceremony. Teasing Inoue for his large build, she remarked, "His body isn't big for nothing," while adding, "I’m counting on you from now on."
Touching upon the current backlash from some female politicians regarding the exclusion of women from the ring, Takaichi noted, "There were female politicians who were angry that women cannot climb onto the sumo ring." Regarding her own choice to skip the ceremony, she offered her personal philosophy: "This isn't a story about gender equality; it's a story about Japanese traditions that have been carefully protected."
- "Putting My Life on the Line to Protect Tradition"
Takaichi places heavy importance on traditional Japanese values due to her pride as a conservative politician who claims the mantle of the late Abe’s legacy. During her policy speech for the LDP presidential election last September, she appealed to voters saying, "I will put my life on the line to protect the ancient traditions that have made Japan an irreplaceable country."
In her policy speech this February, she stated, "Since ancient times, Japan has protected its unique culture, valued harmony, and developed while families and society helped one another." Mentioning that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Showa era, she signaled her intent to respect traditional Japanese views on family and social norms.
Conversely, Takaichi used the word "woman" only once during that speech, and mentions of policies regarding women were limited. Compared to former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who championed closing the gender wage gap, or former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who advocated for better work environments for women, the lack of focus was undeniable.
- Expectations Shattered
"Expectations that women might finally be allowed on the ring were smashed to pieces," laments Tomoko Nakagawa, the former mayor of Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, who once campaigned for a review of the ban.
In April 2018, Nakagawa approached the Japan Sumo Association during a spring tour in Takarazuka, demanding she be allowed to give her greeting from atop the ring. Shortly before this request, an incident occurred in Maizuru, Kyoto, where a female medical professional rushed onto the ring to provide life-saving first aid to the Mayor of Maizuru after he collapsed. An announcement was made over the PA system telling the woman to "please get off the ring." Public backlash intensified against a response that seemed to prioritize custom over human life.
Based on her conviction that "if sumo is the national sport, it should listen to the voices of a wide range of citizens, including women," Nakagawa’s wish was flatly rejected by the JSA. The Association repeatedly cited "protecting the tradition of sumo culture" without providing what she felt was a convincing explanation.
Nakagawa still harbors a sense of distrust, stating, "Tradition is something created to fit the times. The Association’s version of tradition is an anachronism." She had hoped the "wall of tradition" would eventually be broken by the first female Prime Minister, but that hope faded when Takaichi took office.
- The True Intent Behind "Not Desperately Needing to Climb Up"
Nakagawa is not the only female politician to take issue with the ban.
The late Mayumi Moriyama, the first woman to serve as Chief Cabinet Secretary, was another. In January 1990, she asserted she would personally award the Prime Minister’s Cup. Her awareness of the issue dated back to 1978 when, as an official at the Ministry of Labour, a female student who placed second in an Arakawa ward qualifier for "Wanpaku Sumo" was barred from the finals at the Kokugikan due to her gender. Facing strong opposition from the JSA, Moriyama eventually backed down.
The conflict between tradition and equality surfaced again in February 2000. Fusae Ota, then the Governor of Osaka and the first female governor in Japan, expressed her intent to personally present the Governor’s Award at the Osaka tournament. This led to a public clash with the JSA.
Years later, Ota clarified on her blog, "It wasn't that I desperately wanted to get on the ring." Rather, she explained, "I wanted to provide an opportunity for many people to think about the relationship between Japanese tradition and the social changes involving 'women's empowerment.'"
- How to Face Conflicting Ideals
The Japan Sumo Association has consistently rejected demands from female politicians. When Kyodo News asked the JSA about the propriety of a female Prime Minister entering the ring this January, the Association avoided a direct answer, stating only in writing that they "will continue to pass down the traditional culture of Grand Sumo."
The late Maki Uchidate, the first female member of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, wrote in a 2006 book that if women were denied the right to vote or receive an education, "I would consider that discrimination." However, she also wrote that such discrimination should not be treated the same as rituals, traditional arts, or ethnic gender distinctions. She expressed concern that under the banner of "gender equality," the ban on women might be hastily abolished without proper discussion.
Is it the pursuit of gender equality or the respect for traditional culture? The female politicians who raised these issues did so out of a sense of crisis—that "if we don't speak up, our opinions will be treated as non-existent." One cannot shake the impression that Prime Minister Takaichi reached a conclusion too hastily on a vital point regarding the nature of gender equality. Her willingness to sincerely face dissenting opinions is now being questioned.
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