1 Month to Go until Asian Games Return to Japan after 32 Years

Tokyo, Aug. 20 (Jiji Press)–The Asian Games are returning to Japan for the first time in 32 years, with the 2026 Games slated to kick off on Sept. 19 in the central prefecture of Aichi. The 16-day regional sporting event will be joined by a total of 45 countries and regions. Japan last hosted the event in 1994, in the western prefecture of Hiroshima. Hopes are high in the host nation for a shower of medals at the upcoming event, as the Japanese delegation will feature many Olympic medalists. On Tuesday, a torch lighting ceremony was held at the MUFG Stadium in Tokyo, attended by Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura, who heads the 2026 Games organizing committee, and Japanese Olympic Committee President Seiko Hashimoto. Japanese sprinter Yoshihide Kiryu lit a torch from a cauldron used at the 1958 Games in Tokyo. “I felt the inherited history and passion,” Kiryu said. “I will relay the baton and run to inspire children, who are the next generation.” In track and field, Japan won 17 medals at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in 2023, including two golds. At the upcoming Games, Japanese athletes such as Haruka Kitaguchi, the women’s javelin throw winner at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and Rachid Muratake, who finished fifth in the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, will aim for gold. Competitions between Japanese and Chinese athletes are expected to draw attention. In table tennis, an area where China remains a formidable force, Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto and others are expected to find the Asian Games the perfect place to test their abilities. The same can be said for the Japanese men’s artistic gymnastics team, including Shinnosuke Oka, who won three gold medals at the Paris Olympics. Success among athletes who call Aichi and nearby areas their home could further boost the event’s atmosphere. These athletes include wrestler Akari Fujinami, a native of Mie Prefecture and the gold medalist in the women’s 53-kilogram category at the 2024 Olympics. The Asian Games have been “my biggest motivation after the Paris Olympics,” said Fujinami. “I want to win in front of my friends and family.” She will also serve as Japan’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony, alongside freestyle BMX rider Rim Nakamura. The Asian Games will also showcase Asian sports that are not part of the Olympics, such as kabaddi and sepak takraw. As in the previous Asian Games, the 2026 event will feature esports, including the Puyo Puyo puzzle game. Despite some challenges, including ballooning costs that have exceeded the initial estimate and reached around 370 billion yen, including costs for the Asian Para Games set to be held in Aichi in October, preparations for the Asian Games are in their final stages. After torch lighting ceremonies in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagoya, the capital of Aichi, the three flames will be combined into one, and the torch relay will begin in Aichi on Saturday. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]