According to Kyodo News, Tokyo 2020 is planning an extraordinary Executive Board meeting to discuss its response to the comments, now branded "deeply inappropriate" by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

Public anger has grown after Mori suggested he thought women spoke too much during meetings, with more than 142,000 people so far signing a petition calling for action to be taken against the 83-year-old. 

"On Boards with a lot of women, the meetings take so much time," Mori had said, according to Asahi Shimbun.

"When you increase the number of female executive members, if their speaking time isn't restricted to a certain extent, they have difficulty finishing, which is annoying."

Mori, who is known for a string of public gaffes, claimed he was "deeply sorry" for his remarks at a media conference last week. 

When pressed on whether he thought women did talk too much, however, Mori said: "I don't listen to women that much lately so I don't know."

Despite receiving an apology email from Tokyo 2020 for the comments, 390 volunteers have quit and two people have pulled out of the Torch Relay after Mori resisted calls to resign from his position. 

Tokyo 2020's call centre also received around 350 phone calls and 4,200 emails in the five-day span following the comments. 

Following Mori's apology, the IOC had insisted it was "issue closed".

The organisation has now issued a statement on gender equality in the Olympic Movement and criticised Mori's comments, however. 

"Over the past 25 years, the IOC has played an important role in promoting women in and through sport, and it will continue to do so by setting ambitious targets," the statement said. 

"In the challenging context we live in, now more than ever, diversity is a fundamental value that we need to respect and draw strength from.

"The recent comments of Tokyo 2020 President Mori were absolutely inappropriate and in contradiction to the IOC’s commitments and the reforms of its Olympic Agenda 2020. 

"He apologised and later made a number of subsequent comments.

"Besides Mr Mori’s apology, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee also considers his comment to be inappropriate and has reaffirmed its commitment to gender equality.

"As the leader of the Olympic Movement, we are committed to our mission to encourage and support the promotion of women in sport at all levels and in all structures, as stated in the Olympic Charter."

Mori's comments have come at a time when the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games are becoming increasingly unpopular due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A Kyodo News survey last month found 80 per cent of Japanese people want the Games to be cancelled or postponed, with more than 35 per cent of those surveyed calling for the cancellation of the Games and 44.8 per cent arguing for another postponement. 

As a result, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike described the incident as a "major issue" for the Olympics and Paralympics.

Mori has been backed by members of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, however, including secretary general Toshihiro Nikai. 

Nikai has claimed it would "not be a problem" for Mori to remain as Tokyo 2020 President as he had apologised.