The Japanese Olympic Committee will move to protect female athletes from having nonconsensual photographs of a sexual nature snapped while they compete, an important step forward for the country as it seeks to create solidarity with and among victims of sexual abuse.
Sources close to the matter said Monday victims have complained to the JOC after they have discovered photos of themselves shared on social media with sexually explicit captions, leading to the national governing body planning to conduct hearings with various sports bodies.
The JOC is preparing to issue a joint statement with the Japan Sport Association and All Japan High School Athletic Federation while taking concrete steps to prevent surreptitious photos from being taken and shared, the sources said.
In August, former national team athletes complained to the Japan Association of Athletics Federations that photos zoomed in on their breasts and buttocks were taken during competition.
Social movements like #MeToo and Japan’s Flower Demo have highlighted abuse against women in recent years and empowered them to step from the shadows to report sexual harassment, and more Japanese pro athletes have since come forward to talk about their experiences.
One female track and field athlete said she received an unsolicited photo of a man’s genitals sent from an unknown Twitter account and another image of herself during competition photoshopped into an explicit sexual situation.
Others said they are easily targeted when they position themselves in jumping events or when they lift their hips into the air on the starting blocks before a sprint.
Oct 15
Oct 15
The Japanese Olympic Committee will move to protect female athletes from having nonconsensual photographs of a sexual nature snapped while they compete, an important step forward for the country as it seeks to create solidarity with and among victims of sexual abuse. (Japan Times)
Oct 14
Modern technology keeps evolving, spreading its tentacles and roping in all sectors, one by one. (newsonjapan.com)
Oct 13
A total of 26 players of the men’s volleyball team at Nihon University have contracted the novel coronavirus but none are showing serious symptoms, sources close to the matter said Monday. (Kyodo)
Oct 08
NHK has learned that the organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are expecting to slash a total of more than 190 million dollars in costs for the Games.(NHK)
Oct 08
Next year’s Tokyo Marathon will be rescheduled from March to the fall due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, sources said Wednesday. (Japan Times)
Oct 07
The Lotte Marines announced Tuesday a total 11 top-team players and staff have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, but the club’s Pacific League game against the Orix Buffaloes went ahead as planned. (Japan Today)
Oct 07
The IOC and local organizers are trying to “simplify” the postponed Tokyo Olympics, promising to save money in what one study says is already the most expensive Summer Olympics on record.(Japan Today)
Oct 07
Over the past few years, there have been increased suggestions that Formula One could host a street race in Japan by 2025. Hirofumi Yoshimura – the current major of Osaka – has stated his desire for Yumeshima Island to host the country’s first-ever street-orientated Grand Prix. (newsonjapan.com)
Oct 07
As regulated gambling spreads across other parts of Asia, attention always returns to Japan. There have been strong laws controlling gambling here for years, and it seems like this is one area that lawmakers will not return to any time soon. Let’s take a closer look at the current status of gambling here as it currently stands. (newsonjapan.com)
Oct 06
Nippon Professional Baseball and the J. League will explore the possibility of raising the current caps on attendance, a process that will include consultations with an epidemiologist, among others, the two leagues announced following the latest meeting of their joint COVID-19 task force on Monday.(Japan Times)
Oct 05
The government of Japan is reportedly considering ways to let people into the country next year when it hosts the Olympics. (ARIRANG NEWS)
Oct 04
The Japan National Championships for track and field events ended on Saturday after three days of competition.(NHK)
Oct 04
Online casino games have gained a lot of popularity in the last few years. (newsonjapan.com)
Oct 03
Honda Motor says it is withdrawing from Formula One. The carmaker will stop providing power units at the end of the 2021 season as the Japanese company pivots to a focus on green energy.(NHK)
Sep 28
The 28-year-old Shodai has won his first title in the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament, with 13 wins and two losses.(NHK)
Sep 27
The US magazine Time has included tennis star Osaka Naomi on its list of the 100 most influential people for the second year in a row.(NHK)
Sep 25
A Japanese government panel has approved a plan to allow foreign athletes to compete in next year’s Tokyo Games even while in a 2-week coronavirus quarantine period. (NHK)
Sep 19
The Japanese government has decided to set up a system to exempt athletes competing at next year’s Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games from entry restrictions currently placed on 159 countries and regions due to the novel coronavirus that forced the games’ postponement, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.(Kyodo)
Sep 18
Two high school students suffered injuries after they were hit by an athletics hammer on the sports ground of their school in Takizawa, Iwate Prefecture, on Wednesday.(Japan Today)