The female mayor of Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, presented a petition to the Japan Sumo Association on Thursday, requesting it discuss revisions to a policy prohibiting women from entering the dohyo ring.
When spring regional tour events were held in the city on April 6, Mayor Tomoko Nakagawa asked the JSA to allow her to give a speech from the dohyo, a privilege granted to male mayors.
However, her request was rejected and she instead spoke from the ringside, prompting her to request the association adopt appropriate changes while respecting tradition.
Nakagawa, 70, met with stablemaster Shibatayama, the JSA's public relations director, to present the petition. "We will discuss this matter at a board meeting in response to your request," she quoted the stablemaster as saying.
In the petition, the mayor requested the JSA review its tradition to allow women to enter the dohyo on certain occasions, such as the award ceremony on the final day of grand sumo tournaments.
She also called on the association to allow female heads of local governments to speak from the same places as their male counterparts when grand sumo regional tours visit municipalities.
Otsu Mayor Naomi Koshi, 42, also urged sumo elder Edagawa, a JSA member, to review the male-only policy on Thursday. Edagawa, who was formerly called Aogiyama as a sumo wrestler, visited the mayor ahead of the summer regional tour to be held in the city in July.
Shibatayama said the association wants to discuss the matter at its executive meeting after he reports it to JSA Chairman Hakkaku.
"I don't deny there are various views on the matter. We'd like to deal with it sincerely," he said.
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