Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has expressed displeasure over the backlash at home and abroad against his remarks about women, comments that led him to resign from his post as Tokyo Olympics chief last year.
"I simply said that women talk a lot. I get scolded for telling the truth," Mori said at a Tuesday at an event in Tokyo with lawmakers from the ruling party, referring to his comments that included a view about women's tendency to "talk too much."
"The world is going crazy because politicians don't tell the real story," he added.
Mori, who was president of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee, said at a Japanese Olympic Committee gathering on Feb. 3, 2021, that having women participate in meetings meant they tended to "drag on."
He apologized and retracted the comments the following day but said he would not resign. He was widely criticized as being insincere, however, and as his comments drew backlash from the public and top corporate sponsors of the games, he eventually stepped down.
Mori is known for having made numerous controversial remarks in the past.
While he was prime minister between 2000 and 2001, he said Japan is a "divine nation" centered on the emperor, a view that runs counter to the country's postwar Constitution.
Regarding the remark and criticism that ensued, Mori said, "I have no idea what was wrong about it. I suppose there were people who wanted me to be crushed."
He retired from politics in 2012 after more than four decades as a lawmaker.