Japanese mayor says only men should be allowed to go grocery shopping during Coronavirus crisis because women take too long

Ichiro Matsui, the Mayor of Osaka has sparked a backlash for saying only men should be allowed to go grocery shopping during the Coronavirus crisis because women take too long. 

Mayor Ichiro was speaking on the importance of social distancing in other to halt the spread of Coronavirus when he made the statement. 

‘When a woman goes… it will take time,’ Matsui said when asked by a male reporter about possibly reducing shoppers’ entry to supermarkets to lower the risk of coronavirus infections.

‘If it was you, if you were told to get this or that, then you would go directly… and go home,’ he said. ‘It’s also fine for men to go shopping while avoiding contact.’

Matsui, who also said married couples should avoid going shopping together, drew criticism on Japanese Twitter over his remarks, with users saying they were sexist.

‘Japan is a country where these words come calmly out of a mayor’s mouth. Deplorable,’ said one user today.

Another user said: ‘When I hear remarks like this… I feel the need for people with diverse backgrounds to participate in politics,’ the user said.

By Friday morning there were nearly 1,500 coronavirus cases in Osaka, making it the second hardest-hit after Tokyo.

In the whole of Japan, over 12,429 cases of Coronavirus have been recorded with 2,408 recoveries and 328 deaths. 

The Japanese government since declared a nationwide state of emergency till at least May 6 in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus.