Japanese mayor faces backlash over comment about women shoppers
A Japanese mayor faced backlash on social media after he suggested Thursday that men should go to the grocery store during the coronavirus outbreak because women take too long while shopping.
“When a woman goes [they] take a long time as they browse around and hesitate about this and that,” Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui said, Reuters reported.
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"Men can snap up things they are told and go, so I think it's good that they go shopping, avoiding human contact,” he added.
He told another reporter that while his views may not be modern, they’re true in his family, the Kyodo news agency reported.
His remarks that married couples should avoid shopping together also drew criticism, according to Reuters.
“When I hear remarks like this... I feel the need for people with diverse backgrounds to participate in politics,” a user on Japanese Twitter wrote.
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“Women are deciding more quickly when shopping,” a male user wrote, saying it takes him more time to find items in the store, according to Reuters.
Matsui also suggested shoppers might go to the store of different days depending on their birth month.
Amid the outbreak, Japanese residents of some areas have been asked to limit grocery shopping or designate one family member, NDTV reported.
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Osaka has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in Japan next to Tokyo, according to Reuters.