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he 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games organising committee president, Yoshiro Mori, has resigned one week after making sexist comments in a Japanese Olympic Committee meeting.

The 83-year-old former Prime Minister of Japan has stood down after claiming “board of directors meetings with many women take a lot of time”.

“When you increase the number of female executive members, if their speaking time isn’t restricted to a certain extent, they have difficulty finishing, which is annoying,” Agence France-Presse translation quotes Mori as saying.

Mori has since apologised, however resisted initial calls for him to leave his position as president.

“If my presence causes trouble, our efforts so far have been brought to nothing,” Mori said.

Former chair of the Japanese Football Association and current mayor of the Olympic Village, Saburo Kawabuchi, was tipped to take over the position, however local media confirmed he turned down the opportunity.

Local broadcaster, Fuji News Network (FNN), reported the government desired a younger, and potentially female candidate to restore reputation damage.

“We can’t give the impression that things have changed unless we install a woman or see a generational shift,” FNN cited from a government source.

Mori’s comments were strongly condemned by major Olympics sponsor Toyota, with a group of female politicians in Japan wearing white in protest to his remarks.

IOC president, Thomas Bach, said he supports Mori’s decision, but is thankful for his contributions to the organisation of the games.

“Among his many accomplishments, president Mori helped to make Tokyo the best-ever prepared Olympic city,” Bach said.

“The IOC will continue working hand-in-hand with his successor to deliver a safe and secure Games,” he said.

Local media said the country’s Olympics Minister, Seiko Hashimoto, is a possible candidate.