US EditionJapan’s first female leader faces a taboo over entering the male-only sumo ring
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi faces pressure over sumo ring gender taboos rooted in tradition while critics highlight outdated bans amid evolving societal roles for women.
- On Sunday the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament ends, but Sanae Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, won't decide on ring entry as she returns a day later from the Group of 20 summit in South Africa.
- Sumo's ritual roots in Shinto and 1,500-year history complicate the origin story of the ban, as female 'impurity' belief and Meiji-era restrictions shaped its persistence despite early female sumo participation.
- When a mayor collapsed in 2018, two female medical experts gave aid but were ordered off the dohyo, and Tomoko Nakagawa later said she was mortified after being barred, prompting an outside panel.
- Takaichi, a staunch conservative, risks alienating right-wing backers if she defies tradition, as she backs traditional gender views and Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said she plans to respect sumo tradition.
- Her next chance comes at the New Year's tournament in Tokyo, with the seven-year pending decision on the ban and critics arguing exclusion is unjustified at the sumo ring and other sacred places.
25 Articles
25 Articles
A woman leads Japan, yet she’s still forbidden from entering sumo’s sacred ring
Rest of World News: Sanae Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, faces the enduring ban on women entering the sacred sumo ring, highlighting a cultural clash between tradition and gender equality.
While the heads of government traditionally handed over the Prime Minister's Cup, the appointment of Sanae Takaichi, the first woman to run the country, revived the debate about the ban on women treading the dohyo, the terrain of the sumo.
Will Japan’s first woman PM challenge the sumo ring taboo?
Sanae Takaichi’s rise as Japan’s first female prime minister has revived debate over sumo’s ban on women entering the dohyo. The restriction, rooted in historical beliefs about female 'impurity', persists despite centuries-old evidence of women participating in sumo
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