Whilst Japan has been absent at the inaugural Paralympic Games in 1960 (in the city of Rome), Japan made its Paralympic debut by hosting the 1964 Games in Tokyo. The country has participated in every subsequent edition of the Summer Paralympics and in every edition of the Winter Paralympics since the first in 1976. It has hosted the Paralympic Games twice, with Tokyo hosting the 1964 Summer Games and Nagano hosting the 1998 Winter Paralympics. The next Summer Paralympics in 2020 was held again in Tokyo.[1] Japan is represented by the Japan Paralympic Committee.
Japan was the only Asian country to compete at the 1964 Paralympics and also the only Asian country present at the inaugural Winter Games, making it the first Asian nation to have participated in either the Summer or Winter Games. It is also the second-most successful Asian country at the Summer Games (only behind China), having won 427 Paralympic medals, of which 127 are gold, 140 are silver, and 160 are bronze. These results place it 17th in the Summer Games. At the Winter Paralympics, Japan is the most successful Asian nation with 97 medals, with 27 gold, 33 silver, and 37 bronze. These results put it in 13th place.[2]
Japan won only a single gold medal at the Tokyo Games (in the men's doubles, category C, in table tennis), but rapidly improved, with two golds in 1968, four in 1972, and ten in 1976, with a peak at eighteen in 2004—though that number stayed at just five in 2008 and 2012. Despite having won 24 medals in Rio, the country returned without any gold medals—10 silver and 14 bronze. Five years later, at home, Japan finished with 13 gold medals and 11th place in the medal table.
In the Winter Games, the country emerged as a notable competitor when it hosted the Nagano Games in 1998, winning twelve gold medals, compared to none at all in previous editions, except for the 2002 Winter Paralympics, when the Japanese delegation won three bronze medals. Japan won all Winter Paralympics editions after Nagano. Being the best campaign, the last one in Beijing 2022, with 4 gold medals.[3]
By far Japan's most successful Paralympian has been swimmer Mayumi Narita, who won fifteen gold medals for her country between 1996 and 2004, making her one of the world's most successful Paralympians of all time.[4]
Hosted Games
Japan has hosted the Games on three occasions, including the 2020 Summer Paralympics (which was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic):
| Games | Dates | Host city |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 Summer Paralympics | 8–12 November 1964 | Tokyo |
| 1998 Winter Paralympics | 5–14 March 1998 | Nagano |
| 2020 Summer Paralympics | 24 August – 5 September 2021 | Tokyo |
Unsuccessful bids
| Games | City | Winner of bid |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Summer Paralympics | Osaka | Beijing, China |
| 2016 Summer Paralympics | Tokyo | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Medals
Medals by Summer GamesHost country (Japan)
|
Medals by Winter GamesHost country (Japan)
|
Medals by sports
Medals by summer sport Leading in that sport
|
Medals by winter sport Leading in that sport
|
Multi-medalists
Japanese athletes who have won at least three gold medals or five or more medals of any colour.
Summer Games
| No. | Athlete | Sport | Years | Games | Gender | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mayumi Narita |  Swimming |
1996-2004 | 3 | F | 15 | 3 | 2 | 20 |
| 2 | Junichi Kawai | Swimming |
1992-2008 | 5 | M | 5 | 9 | 7 | 21 |
| 3 | Mineho Ozaki |  Athletics |
1984-2008 | 7 | M | 5 | 1 | 5 | 11 |
| 4 | Shingo Kunieda |  Wheelchair tennis |
2004-2020 | 5 | M | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | Takayuki Suzuki | Swimming |
2004-2024 | 6 | M | 3 | 5 | 6 | 14 |
| 6 | Keiichi Kimura | Swimming |
2008-2012, 2020-2024 | 4 | M | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| 7 | Toshihiro Takada | Athletics |
2004-2008 | 2 | M | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 8 | Sarina Satomi |  Badminton |
2020-2024 | 2 | F | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Keiko Sugiura |  Cycling |
2020-2024 | 2 | F | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Maki Okada | Athletics |
1988-1992 | 2 | F | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 11 | Noriko Arai | Athletics |
1996-2004 | 3 | F | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 12 | Yoshikazu Sakai | Swimming |
2000-2004 | 2 | M | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 13 | Erika Nara | Swimming |
2000-2008 | 3 | F | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 14 | Kazu Hatanaka | Athletics |
1996-2004 | 3 | F | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Tomoki Sato | Athletics |
2016-2024 | 3 | M | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | |
| Teruyo Tanaka | Athletics |
1996-2012 | 5 | F | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
Winter Games
| No. | Athlete | Sport | Years | Games | Gender | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Momoka Muraoka |  Alpine skiing |
2014-2022 | 3 | F | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| 2 | Yoshihiro Nitta |  Cross-country skiing |
1998-2022 | 7 | M | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Akira Kano | Alpine skiing |
2006-2022 | 4 | M | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Kuniko Obinata | Alpine skiing |
1994-2010 | 5 | F | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
See also
References
- ^ Japan at the Paralympics, International Paralympic Committee
- ^ Japan at the Paralympics, International Paralympic Committee
- ^ Japan at the Paralympics, International Paralympic Committee
- ^ Japan at the Paralympics, International Paralympic Committee
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