Sumo Takaichi facing a heavyweight challenge: will she confront sumo’s ban on women?

[thomas]

Women are not permitted to step onto the dohyō (土俵), which is regarded as a sacred space. PM Takaichi has reportedly not yet decided whether she will attend a trophy presentation scheduled for later this month.

Sumo enthusiasts across Japan have been watching closely to see whether Takaichi Sanae, the country's first female prime minister, will challenge centuries-old custom by stepping into the dohyō to present a trophy later this month. As the 15-day tournament in Fukuoka enters its final stretch, with 11 days completed, government officials have fuelled speculation by offering only vague remarks about the possibility of a confrontation between Takaichi and the Japan Sumo Association. Under long-standing Shinto beliefs, women are barred from entering or even touching the dohyō, which is considered sacred, because they are thought to be "impure" due to menstruation.

When questioned on whether Takaichi would seek permission to hand over the minister's trophy to the champion next Sunday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara declined to give a clear response.

Kihara's reference to tradition suggests that Takaichi, a social conservative, will avoid reigniting the controversy over the ban on women's sumo. Currently, women are permitted to enter the ring, as competitors and referees, only in amateur sumo. The controversy stretches back to 1990, when Mayumi Mori, Japan's first female chief cabinet secretary, indicated she wanted to present the minister's trophy on his behalf. The sumo association rejected her request, with its chair stating "that "there should be at least one organisation like ours, according to the Asahi Shimbun. A decade later, Osaka's then-governor, Fuse Ohta, was forced to present a prize to the champion of the annual Osaka tournament on a walkway next to the dohyō after the sumo association rejected her repeated requests to be allowed to enter the ring.

The long-running debate over women entering the dohyō flared up again in 2018. Maizuru's mayor, Ryōzō Tatami, collapsed from a stroke while giving a speech in the middle of the ring. As he fell, several women in the audience — one of them a nurse — climbed up to administer first aid. The referee, clearly flustered, called through the loudspeaker again and again for them to step down, but they refused and kept treating him until help arrived.

Once the emergency had passed, officials scattered salt on the ring, a standard act of purification in Shinto ritual. The Sumo Association later denied that it had been done because women had entered the dohyō, but the gesture still fuelled criticism. Public anger swelled, and the association's chairman, Hakkaku, was eventually forced to apologise for the association's behaviour.

Japan’s new PM faces sumo-sized dilemma: will Takaichi defy the sport’s ban on women?

Women are banned from entering the ‘sacred’ dohyo. Sanae Takaichi is undecided on whether to attend a trophy presentation later this month

www.theguardian.com

 

[Grandpa Frank]

An interesting dilemma. Maybe some type of flying trapeze?

 

[mdchachi]

I don't think she should because she represents the conservative old school ways. That would be much too progressive.

Or she could really trigger some major conversations if she says it's ok because she's post-menopause and no longer menstruates.

 

[NANGI]

Konnichiwa Mina-san!

Tradition? Custom? Innovation? Equality?

I think the Prime Minister should be free to speak her mind, because she won't be threatened with having her head chopped off no matter what she says.

Yahoo! Japan News

巡業地は、大阪ではなく福岡です。安心ですね！

NANGI

 

[johnnyG]

I asked my wife about this over dinner--both a sumo fan and a takaichi one, too.

Her opinion is that takaichi would 'of course' respect everything about sumo, and not do anything that would ruffle feathers.

 

[mdchachi]

She could enter the ring but as a compromise and gesture of good will provide a bucket of salt to repurify the ring after she's done defiling it.

 

[thomas]

No flying trapeze, no bucket of salt: PM Takaichi is expected to forgo attending the award ceremony for the champion of the New Year's sumo tournament, as women are traditionally barred from entering the ring. Takaichi is said to have decided out of respect for long-standing sumo customs. The rule keeping women out of the ring has long been criticised as discriminatory, but it remains part of sumo tradition. Under standard practice, the prime minister presents the Prime Minister's Cup to the winners of the New Year's and summer tournaments at Ryogoku Kokugikan.

During the November Kyushu tournament last year, Takaichi, who was traveling abroad at the time, sent close aide Takahiro Inoue to present the cup to champion and Ukrainian sensation Aonishiki. She is similarly expected to designate a representative for the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, which ends on Jan. 25, the source said. "The prime minister wants to respect the traditional culture of sumo," a government official said. The ban on women from entering the ring, deemed a sacred place for male wrestlers, has come under fire over the years. Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Mayumi Moriyama in 1990 and former Osaka Gov Fusae Ota in 2000 previously expressed their desire to present the trophy to the tournament winner, but the Japan Sumo Association expressed reservations. The restriction was further scrutinized in April 2018 when women who had climbed into the ring to administer first aid to a then-mayor who had collapsed were told by an official to get off the dohyo.

Says the Japan Sumo Association: "We will continue to preserve traditional culture."

Kyodo News Digest: Jan. 12, 2026

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

english.kyodonews.net

 

[thomas]

The New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo ended on Sunday with roaring crowds and celebrations inside the sport's most revered ring, but one familiar figure was absent. Japan's prime minister, who typically presents the main trophy, did not appear.

Sanae Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, stayed away in line with the long-standing rule barring women from entering the dohyō. She asked the education minister to present the prime minister's cup and certificate, with officials saying this was done to respect sumo tradition, reflecting her cautious stance on gender issues as she prepares for a snap election next month. Since taking office in October, Takaichi has largely avoided emphasising the symbolic importance of her election, stressing traditional values and defining leadership on her own terms rather than directly challenging sexism. The Grand Sumo tournament, which took place over 15 days this month, was seen as a test of how substantially Ms Takaichi might seek to change Japan's cultural norms. She skipped another sumo event in November. Minoru Kihara, the chief cabinet secretary, said last week that the government was considering the "prime minister's intention that she would like to value the traditional culture."

The Japan Sumo Association said in a statement that it was "committed to the success of the traditional culture of Grand Sumo." Sumo aficionados expressed disappointment that Ms Takaichi did not present the trophy as many of her male predecessors had. Over the years, several female officials in Japan have lobbied the association for permission to enter the ring. The group has rejected their requests; it came under fire at one point for forcing a female mayor to speak from a podium outside the ring instead. Ms Takaichi "is the last person who wants to change women's rights or promote feminism," said Shizuka Wada, an author who has been critical of sumo culture. "This tradition will never change so long as she is prime minister." Women have long been banned from professional sumo rings in Japan. In the Shinto faith, one of the country's main religions, women are considered impure because of menstruation.

Gift article courtesy of JREF:

Why Japan’s Leader Won’t Enter the Male-Dominated Sumo Ring

Sanae Takaichi, the first woman to lead Japan as prime minister, skipped a sumo awards ceremony, reflecting her cautious approach to gender issues.

www.nytimes.com

 

[thomas]

​

Others in that discussion argued that, had Japan always "carefully preserved and protected traditions," women still would not be able to vote, or perhaps Mrs Takaichi would not find herself in her current position as PM of Japan.