Olympian Breaks Tokyo 2020 Glass Ceiling

(ATR) The new minister for the 2020 Olympics is the first woman to hold the post.

Seiko Hashimoto was named minister by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a cabinet shakeup Wednesday. A long-time member of the parliament, Hashimoto becomes the fifth Olympics Minister since Tokyo was awarded the Games in 2013.

After Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Yuriko Koike, Hashimoto is the highest ranking woman with a say-so in the operation of the 2020 Olympics.

Hashimoto will be the first minister to bring Olympic experience to the job. She competed in speed skating in three Winter Games, winning a bronze medal in 1992. She also made the cycling team for Japan at three Summer Olympics through 1996.

Her seven appearances at the Olympics is a record for a Japanese woman.

Hashimoto is a vice president of the Japanese Olympic Committee and president of the Japanese Skating Association. In 2014 she was chef de mission for the Japanese team at the Sochi Olympics.

Hashimoto and her husband, a policeman, have six children together from their blended marriage. Their sixth child was born in 2000, making her the first member of the upper house of the Diet to give birth while holding office.

Hashimoto will also serve as Minister in Charge of Women's Empowerment.

The cabinet shakeup by Abe includes some key portfolios including defense, foreign ministry, economy and environment.

Written by Ed Hula

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