Her comments were deemed to be sexist.
A well-known Japanese announcer, Kawaguchi Yuri, has been fired by her agency after she was criticized for criticizing men’s body odor.
The news of Kawaguchi’s termination went viral on social media after her agency, VOICE, announced that it had terminated its contract with the freelance announcer on August 10 due to her “inappropriate” social media post. In their statement, VOICE mentioned that Kawaguchi’s post “defamed the opposite sex,” and hence, as an announcement agency, it couldn’t continue its association with her.
The agency also apologized for Kawaguchi’s post, acknowledging her fault.
The post in concern was uploaded by Kawaguchi on August 8 on X (former Twitter), where she talked about men not maintaining hygiene well enough. She stated that she wanted to work in the beauty business targeted at male customers, adding that she found men’s body odor during the summer or the specific smell of the men who live an unhealthy life troublesome.
She also mentioned that she herself used products like sweat wipes and deodorant, in addition to showering several times a day all year round, to prevent bad body odor and wished that men could do the same.
The post was met with severe backlash and was deemed sexist by many. Kawaguchi eventually had to delete it. She later posted an apology on X, calling her remarks “immature” and apologizing for any hurt caused.
I deeply regret my actions. As someone working in a profession that deals with words, I was immature. Moving forward, I will strive to ensure that I do not hurt anyone with my words. I am truly sorry.
— Kawaguchi Yuri
International netizens, however, have expressed their support for Kawaguchi, and criticized her agency’s decision to terminate her as disproportionate.
Japan when an entertainment person says that men stink in terms of odor or something harmless : “LETS TERMINATE THAT PERSON”
Japan when an entertainment person is found out to be a pedophile or someone that physically hurts others : 💤 https://t.co/NOxRUYxLA7
— GalaxyStar (@XyzStriker) August 11, 2024
people will always STINK be it men or women, when summer comes by or if you live within tropical countries or simply sweat after doing physical activities it doesn’t hurt for you to SHOWER or TAKE A BATH
hope a better agency who can appreciate honesty scouts her because yikes https://t.co/CLNsNJDVnN
— ノル • NORU 🍉 (@tweown) August 12, 2024
NO, THAT’S SOME BULLSHIT!!! I’m telling you this is some shit some people need to hear. Being a stank ass at work is unacceptable, like y’all, if you’ve been to a con or gathering, you know how off-putting/bad BO can be. It can legit make you feel sick 🤮🤮 https://t.co/QjeEjlsRKU
— Nik (@Hazamatoxin) August 13, 2024
Men’s sensitivity… The amount of shit women get here with comments on looks, behaviors or the plain old “women should be in the kitchen” from public personalities. Yet these men don’t get fired, eh. https://t.co/XLnnJ4tMIT
— AmélieMarieinTokyo (@AmelieinTokyo) August 12, 2024
but people will still think that japan doesnt have a serious issue with misogyny and witch hunting https://t.co/xoKc7FCJpw
— ZEQAL | C0MlSS0NS Open! (@ZEQAL_BRB) August 12, 2024
They also hated Jesus when he told the truth 😌 https://t.co/H01LZPJeOk
— capsulebunny (@capsulebutt) August 12, 2024
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