Photo/Illutration Seiko Hashimoto, the new president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, speaks to reporters on June 26. (Takeshi Teruya)

Seiko Hashimoto, a former Olympian and Cabinet minister, was elected as the new president of the Japanese Olympic Committee on June 26.

The election, the first in the JOC’s 36-year history, also marks the first time a woman has assumed the organization’s top post.

Hashimoto, 60, a bronze medalist in speed skating at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics and a veteran of seven Olympics in both winter and summer events, was chosen during a JOC board meeting held in Tokyo.

She succeeds Yasuhiro Yamashita, 68, who served three terms since 2019.

The race for the presidency saw two other candidates: former Japan Football Association President Kozo Tashima, 67; and Japan Basketball Association President Yuko Mitsuya, 66.

After multiple rounds of secret ballots by board members, Hashimoto emerged victorious in a runoff vote against Mitsuya.

According to sources, Hashimoto gained support during a presentation ahead of the voting, where she pledged to pursue another bid for Japan to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

At a news conference following the election, Hashimoto appeared solemn but resolute.

“This is the first election in JOC history, and I am honored to become its first female president,” she said. “I will carry out my duties with humility and never forget my original intention.”

Her election marks a departure from tradition, emerging from a rare internal contest rather than the organization’s historically closed-door process often influenced by sports politics and behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

Sources say Hashimoto received encouragement from influential international figures, including then-International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach during his visit to Japan last month.

Hashimoto is a member of the Upper House from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party. She previously served as Olympic minister and as president of the Organizing Committee for the 2021 Tokyo Games.

In an ironic turn, she now becomes the first politician to lead the JOC since its independence from the Japan Sport Association in 1989, a move originally intended to ensure political neutrality.

Addressing concerns over a 20.57 million yen ($142,000) discrepancy tied to her name in a recent political funding scandal, Hashimoto defended her integrity.

“There was no slush fund, no misreporting. I would not have run if there had been any suspicion over my actions,” she said.

As JOC president, Hashimoto pledged to build on the legacy of the Tokyo Games and to revitalize the Olympic movement amid ongoing challenges, including declining sponsorship.

“It is precisely because we are in a difficult period that bold new reforms are needed,” she said.

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