Former Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori has again publicly demonstrated his support for Russia following the invasion of Ukraine ©Getty Images

Former Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori has warned his country’s Government not to give too much support to Ukraine, predicting that they will be defeated by Russia.

The ex-Japanese Prime Minister is renowned for his many gaffes, including having to resign as the head of Tokyo 2020 after making sexist remarks.

"I wonder why" Japan has put in "such a big effort to support Ukraine," the 85-year-old member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said in a speech at a reception also attended by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, agency Kyodoo News reported.

"It is unthinkable that Russia would lose the war," he said.

"If that happened, something harder would happen."

Yoshirō Mori, left, played a leading role in building relations with Russia and its President Vladimir Putin, right, who awarded him the Order of Friendship ©Getty Images
Yoshirō Mori, left, played a leading role in building relations with Russia and its President Vladimir Putin, right, who awarded him the Order of Friendship ©Getty Images

When Prime Minister between 2000 and 2001, Mori helped strengthen bilateral ties with Russia through talks with its President Vladimir Putin.

In 2004, Putin presented Mori with the Order of Friendship for his "contribution to the development of Russian-Japanese cooperation."

In November last year, Mori had at a political gathering in Tokyo that he could not "quite understand why only Putin has been criticised," claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been "making many Ukrainian people suffer."

Earlier this week, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the Government’s spokesman, promised that they will "continue to offer assistance" to people in Ukraine, who have been facing a "national crisis."

Kishida told Parliament yesterday that he would consider an invitation to visit Kyiv extended by Zelensky, depending on the circumstances.

Japan's current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering a trip to Kyiv to show his support for Ukraine ©Getty Images
Japan's current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering a trip to Kyiv to show his support for Ukraine ©Getty Images

Mori has a reputation for making remarks that land him in trouble.

In February 2021 during an Executive Board meeting of Tokyo 2020, Mori claimed women talk too much in meetings.

While discussing the objective of aiming for at least 40 per cent of members to be female, he said that "On Boards [of Directors] with a lot of women, the Board meetings take so much time.

"Women have a strong sense of competition.

"If one person raises their hand, others probably think, I need to say something too.

"That’s why everyone speaks."

Mori apologised for his comments afterwards but was still forced to resign and was replaced by Seiko Hashimoto, an Olympic bronze medallist in speed skating and who had represented Japan in seven editions of the Games.