Japanese NOC News

19 June 2026 - Find here the latest news from the National Olympic Committee: events, courses, general assemblies and elections, trophies and much more.

19 June 2026 - The JOC officially launched the 2026 JOC International Sports Leader Academy (JISLA) on 12 June at Ajinomoto National Training Centre. Thirty-one participants from national sports federations and sports-related organisations took part, including Olympians. The Academy will run through December, offering 82 training sessions to enhance participants’ knowledge and practical capabilities in the international sports arena. Since its establishment in 2011, JISLA has aimed to strengthen Japan’s presence in global sport by developing human resources and promoting engagement in international activities. More details about JISLA here.

11 May 2026 - On 25 April, both the Japanese NOC and National Paralympic Committee jointly held “Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Team Japan Appreciation Parade” in Tokyo, to express gratitude for public support of Team Japan at these Games. While similar parades have been held for the Summer Games since London 2012, this marked the first such event for a Winter Games. A total of 114 athletes took part, engaging directly with spectators by responding to interviews conducted by children and conveying their appreciation in person. The event attracted approximately 50,000 spectators along the route and more than 150 media representatives, contributing to the further promotion of the Olympic Movement in Japan. Info at www.joc.or.jp

01 September 2025 - To mark the 80^th anniversary of the atomic bombings, the JOC took part in the Peace Memorial Ceremony in Hiroshima on 6 August and in Nagasaki on 9 August. With six months remaining until the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, this milestone year provided an important opportunity to reflect on the Olympic Movement’s mission (to contribute to building a peaceful and better world) while honouring the victims and considering how best to pass this vision on to future generations. JOC President Seiko Hashimoto, IOC Member and JOC Vice-President Morinari Watanabe, Secretary General Yuki Ota, and other Board members were present in Hiroshima. President Hashimoto and Secretary General Ota attended the ceremony in Nagasaki. Info at www.joc.or.jp

24 June 2025 - The JOC started the 2025 session of the JOC International Sports Leader Academy (JISLA) at the National Training Centre on 13 June. Twenty-six people from 19 national federations and sports organisations are taking part this year. All participants will take 84 training courses between now and November. Since its establishment in 2011, the Academy has aimed to improve Japan's sports leadership presence by developing human resources within national sports federations and broadening their involvement in international sports activities. More details about JISLA here.

12 June 2024 - The JOC started the 2024 JOC International Sports Leader Academy (JISLA) training course at the National Training Centre on 24 May. Twenty-three people, representing 18 national federations and sports organisations, are participating in the Academy sessions this year. All the participants, including Hiromi Miyake, a double Olympic medallist in weightlifting, will take 82 training sessions between now and December. The Academy was established in 2011 and aims to improve Japan’s sporting presence by developing the human resources of national sports federations and their contributions to International Sports Federations’ activities. More info at www.joc.or.jp.

04 September 2023 - A breaking event was held in the Japan Olympic Museum with the Japan Dance Sport Federation, to promote the sport which will be staged at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. B-Boy and Youth Olympic Games medallist Nakarai Shigeyuki and B-Girls Nakarai  Ayane and Tsuhako Riko joined the group as special instructors to teach 40 elementary school students. After practising and performing a dance session, the children and the athletes toured the Museum. More details at www.joc.or.jp.

24 July 2023 - The JOC held its annual Olympic Concert at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre on 30 June to commemorate Olympic Day. The theme of the concert, being held one year before the Olympic Games Paris 2024, was "To Believe in the Power of Dreams". The concert looked back on the history of the Olympic Games, all the way to the present day. The JOC Sports Awards for 2022 were also presented. Athletes who were successful last year were invited to the stage to talk about their motivation for Paris 2024 and future goals. More details at www.joc.or.jp.

16 June 2023 - With Olympians Abe Hifumi and Abe Uta, the JOC hosted a judo event for children named “ABE CUP 2023 -Judo School and Friendly Match”. The event took place on 10 and 11 June in the Abe siblings’ home prefecture of Hyogo. They are well known as the first-ever sibling judo Olympic champions, winning on the same day at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. This event was part of the “Team Japan Symbol Athletes Social Action”. The programme included a judo school for local elementary school children, and a friendly match tournament for children from all over Japan. More details at www.joc.or.jp.

08 July 2022 - The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and Pride House Tokyo have signed a comprehensive agreement to create an environment where everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or gender expression, can participate in sport equally, safely and securely in their own way, and to make maximum use of and contribute to the power of sport and athletes in creating such a society. Signed last month, this partnership agreement is a concrete measure taken following the JOC’s announcement in August 2021 of the "Tokyo 2020 D&I [Diversity and Inclusion] Action Plan", which aims to give rise to inclusive organisations where everyone can live as they wish, irrespective of race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, nationality, age and other characteristics. It was influenced by the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, where there were more openly LGBTQ+ athletes than at any previous edition. Through this partnership, the JOC is looking to enhance LGBTQ+ understanding among sports personnel through training programmes; use sporting events, games and other occasions to promote and disseminate information; and carry out awareness-raising activities in collaboration with athletes and research of LGBTQ+ issues in the field of sport. More info at www.joc.or.jp.

05 November 2020 - The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) revealed its new team emblem during the presentation of its new team brand, named “TEAM JAPAN”, in Tokyo on 27 October. The new emblem is composed of a stylised “T” (the capital of Team) in gold and a stylised “J” (the capital of Japan) in red, surrounding the national flag of Japan and the newly created wordmark “TEAM JAPAN”. The emblem will be on the official uniforms of the Japanese delegation starting from Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. More info at www.joc.or.jp.

11 September 2020 - The Sport for Tomorrow (SFT) programme, organised with consortium members, including the Japanese Olympic Committee, across the public and private sectors in Japan, has now reached 12 million people in 204 countries. The SFT programme started in 2014 after a promise made by Japan, in September 2013 in Buenos Aires, as the host country of the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2020. Japan promised to bring the joy of sport to more than 10 million people in over 100 countries throughout the world. The SFT programme has been led by the Government of Japan in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japan Sports Agency. As of 31 March 2020, 6,804 programmes have been implemented. More info here.

16 March 2020 - The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) closed the ninth year of its International Sports Leader Academy (JISLA) with a graduation ceremony on 30 January at Japan Sport Olympic Square during the Annual NOC/National Federations (NFs) International Relations Forum. This year, 38 people representing 31 NFs and other sports organisations took part. The Academy was established in 2011 and aims to give participants the chance to learn international communications skills and knowledge on the IOC, IFs, NOCs and other topics, to contribute to the Olympic Movement and enhance the international presence and competitiveness of Japanese sport. Many of the 249 alumni have gone on to work for international sports organisations. More details on www.joc.or.jp.

07 October 2019 - The Japan Olympic Museum opened its doors to the public on 14 September. The Museum, operated by the Japanese NOC, is located in Shinjuku, near the main stadium for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The museum offers various activities that combine sport with culture and education, in collaboration with athletes. It is intended to become the centre of the Olympic Movement in Japan. Ahead of the grand opening, school children decorated the welcome wall of the museum with Olympic symbols (see photo), and were taken on a guided tour by Olympians. Read more on the Japan Olympic Museum Museum website: www.japan-olympicmuseum.jp/en

02 september 2019 - The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) has launched the “Zei-in Dankestu” (Everyone Unite) Project for the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The notion of athletes, national sports federations and the public working together has been included in the name of the project. The emblem is inspired by origami, an ancient Japanese artform that symbolises unity and connecting people. The public will be able to send messages in origami form, which will then be delivered to athletes next year. At the project kick-off event, Olympian and former tennis player Shuzo Matsuoka was appointed Head of Supporters with a view to boosting support for the Japanese Olympic team. The event was attended by JOC President Yasuhiro Yamashia, representatives of summer national sports federations, Olympians Shinji Takahira and Saori Yoshida, and a number of Olympic hopefuls. More info atwww.joc.or.jp.

15 july 2019 -The 9^th year of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC)’s International Sports Leader Academy (JISLA) kicked off on 21 June. The mission of the JILSA is to develop human resources capable of contributing to policy-making in international sports organisations or international negotiations and to strengthen Japan’s international capabilities in terms of organisations, human resources and finance. Out of 214 graduates, 74 have obtained positions in IFs and Asian federations. Olympic medallist Yuko Arimori (see photo) delivered the keynote speech, which was followed by talks on volunteer management by the Rugby World Cup 2019 Organising Committee and necessary global communications skills. This year, 39 professionals from 32 NFs are taking part in the programme. More info at www.joc.or.jp.

28 june 2019 -The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) held a number of events to commemorate Olympic Day. On 23 June, the Olympic Day Run was held in Shibetsu City, Hokkaido, with more than 1,000 participants taking part alongside ten Olympians and two Paralympians. Children also had the opportunity to challenge Olympians over a 50-metre race, and try out Olympic sports such as tennis and badminton. On 14 June, in addition to the Olympic Concert, the JOC Sports Awards Ceremony for FY2018 was held. The Most Valuable Athlete Award went to tennis player Naomi Osaka, winner of the US Open. More info at www.joc.or.jp

15 January 2019 - The Japanese NOC closed the eighth year of its International Sports Leader Academy (JISLA) with a graduation ceremony on 13 December 2018 at the NOC’s National Training Centre during the Annual NOC/National Federations (NFs) Forum. This year, 46 people representing 31 NFs and other sports organisations took part. The Academy aims to teach participants international communications skills and knowledge to help them be successful in international sports organisations. The NOC/NFs International Relations Forum brought together some 167 participants. The aim was to share information and knowledge on the IOC, the NOCs, the IFs and other topics, in order to contribute to developing sport worldwide, and recognise the importance of improving the sporting environment and tackling issues the sports world is facing. More info at www.joc.or.jp.

30 October 2018 - A partnership agreement was signed between the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and the Uruguayan Olympic Committee on 10 October at the Embassy of Uruguay in Buenos Aires. Simultaneously, the Japan Sports Agency and the Uruguayan National Department of Sport signed a cooperation Memorandum of Understanding.  The agreement was signed by the two NOC Presidents, Tsunekazu Takeda (left of photo) and Julio César Maglione (right). According to the agreement, both parties will actively support officials, staff and their own athletes and coaches so that they can benefit from exchange programmes and opportunities, and will exchange knowledge and information in medical science and anti-doping, as well as sharing Olympic Movement information. The JOC has already signed agreements with 44 NOCs (not including the Uruguayan NOC). More info at www.joc.or.jp.

24 September 2018 - The Japanese Olympic Committee and the Japan Sports Press Association co-hosted the annual Sports Journalist Seminar on 10 September at the Ajinomoto National Training Centre in Tokyo. Ashley Abbott, Public Affairs and Communications Director of the New Zealand NOC and Chair of the IOC Press Committee Working Group on Gender Equality, was invited to deliver a keynote speech based on the theme “Gender Balance in Sports Journalism.” The keynote speech was followed by a panel discussion focusing on the current situation of gender equality in Japanese sports reporting, in which Kaori Yamaguchi (Judo Olympic Bronze medallist) and experienced members of the media also took part. The seminar was held in the presence of Japanese sports journalists and National Sports Federation communicators. More info at www.joc.or.jp.

18 June 2018 - The Japanese NOC organised its Sports Awards Ceremony and Olympic Concert 2018 at the Tokyo International Forum on 8 June, prior to Olympic Day. The Most Valuable Athlete Award was presented to Nao Kodaira, Olympic speed skating champion (500m) and silver medallist (1000m) at PyeongChang 2018. A Most Valuable Athlete Award was presented to two PyeongChang gold medallists: Miho Takagi (speed skating), who became the first Japanese woman to win gold, silver and bronze at the same Games; and Yuzuru Hany (figure skating), the first to defend the gold medal twice in a row. NOC Council members, Executive Board members and honorary members, as well as Tokyo 2020 partners, were also present, as were 14 athletes from 9 countries taking part in Olympic Solidarity World Programmes for Tokyo 2020. Info at www.joc.or.jp.