IN an interview appearing in The New York Times on April 26, Tokyo [Governor] Naoki Inose sullied Tokyo’s chances for hosting the 2020 Olympic Summer Games by violating one of the key rules of the International Olympic Committee — not to directly criticise competitors. Mr Inose spoke ill of Istanbul, one of the other finalist cities bidding to host the Olympic Games.

His uninformed and unconsidered comments reveal a lack of sensitivity to other cultures and a poor understanding of Japan’s own culture. Trying hard to promote Tokyo would be no disgrace, but Mr Inose moved far past the boundaries of courteous conduct by claiming that Istanbul was underdeveloped and ill equipped to host the games.

… Judging from Mr Inose’s comments, Tokyo’s physical infrastructure may be ready to host the games, but the governor’s understanding of sportsmanship is still in need of construction. Other comments by Mr Inose in the interview were even more reprehensible. He stated that for Islamic countries, such as Turkey, “the only thing they share in common is Allah and they are fighting with each other, and they have classes”. … Istanbul is a rapidly growing city, while Turkey is perhaps the most secular of all Islamic countries. Mr Inose seems to suggest Japan has no socioeconomic classes. He was wrong on all counts.

Mr Inose also blundered through a series of questionable comments about Japanese culture. He quoted the long lifespan of Japan as an indication of a “stress-free” society here and condescended to the Turkish people by suggesting that they should create a culture like Japan’s if they want to live longer lives. … After the article came out, Mr Inose tried to retract the content … His small-minded competitiveness lost face for the city and for the country. In addition to speaking badly about a vibrant and impressive city like Istanbul, the governor showed through his remarks that he is not yet quite ready to participate in international society, much less compete for the right to host the games. … —(May 5)