PRESS CONFERENCE
Seiko Hashimoto, JOC President
13:00-14:00 Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation.
As Japan celebrates its first woman prime minister, another noted female leader will speak to the Club about her ongoing efforts to promote gender equality in the realms of politics, sports and beyond. Seiko Hashimoto stands on the front lines by serving as the current president of the Japan Olympic Committee, a six-term member of the Diet and a past Minister of State for Gender Equality.
Hashimoto took over as the JOC president just five months before 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games were set to begin, after her predecessor was forced to resign for remarks that were criticized as sexist. A seven-time former Olympian who won a bronze medal in speedskating, she brought rich experience that she needed for her immediate challenge of holding a Summer Games during a global pandemic.
Hashimoto has also used her position and personal legacy as a successful female athlete to advocate for elevating the prominence of women and girls in Japanese sports. She has also did this in politics ever since her first election to the Diet 30 years ago as a member of the Liberal-Democratic Party. In 2019, she joined the Cabinet of then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to serve as minister of state in charge of both the Olympics and empowerment of women.
Despite her personal success, Hashimoto can attest that women still have a long way to go. In last year's World Economic Forum Gender Gap Index, Japan ranked 118th out of 146 countries. With few examples of women in top leadership, whether as chief executives of major firms or presidents of leading universities, Hashimoto still stands out as an exception rather than the norm.
Please join us to learn about how Hashimoto has worked to advance gender equality in sports and politics, and the challenges that she sees Japan still facing.
How to attend:
Please register by emailing front@fccj.or.jp with your name and the name of your media outlet. FCCJ members should also include their membership number. Doors will open 15 minutes before the event.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/LKWsVicTAPESvpaM9
TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. FCCJ will limit live-streaming of FCCJ-hosted press conferences to Club members only. Non-members will no longer be permitted to live-stream these events. However, non-members may still film for reporting purposes and use footage after the press conference.
Professional Activities Committee