Home > Highlighting JAPAN > Highlighting JAPAN October 2015

Highlighting JAPAN

October 2015

Sporting Nation

Cover October 2015

  • PDF October 2015
  • System Requirements

index

PRIME MINISTER'S DIARY
- WAW! Tokyo 2015
- Japan-Liberia Summit Meeting
- Japan-Uganda Summit Meeting

COVER STORY
Sporting Nation

FEATURES

Boosting Sport to Energize Japan
Interview: Daichi Suzuki; Commissioner, Japan Sports Agency

With Japan poised to host a range of global sporting events, its athletic environment is clearly gain momentum. On October 1 this year, the country established the Japan Sports Agency to promote sports and take a comprehensive approach to its administrative policy. We spoke with Daichi Suzuki, commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency and 1988 Seoul Olympics 100-meter backstroke gold medalist, and asked him about the development of sports policy in Japan, its current approaches, and the global sporting events that Japan will soon be hosting.

Tokyo Marathon: The Day We Unite

In 2016, the Tokyo Marathon will celebrate its tenth anniversary. With applicants well exceeding the number of slots available, 37,000 runners from all over the world will gather for a race that has become a world-class event on a grand scale.

Sporting competitions and events

Japan hosts a range of sporting competitions and events year-round. These include not only ones you can watch, but also ones you can take part in yourself.

Queen of the Wheels

Wakako Tsuchida was the first Japanese athlete to win gold medals at both the Summer and Winter Paralympics. She describes the path to her achievements and her dedication to winning a gold medal at the upcoming 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio.

Professional Whistleblower

FIFA International Referee Ryuji Sato flies to soccer pitches around the world where he's relied upon for his impartial judgment. We asked him about his on-pitch experiences at international tournaments and his plans for the future.

The Past and Future of Japanese Sports

An American professor examines how media narratives have shaped the public's view of Japanese athletics from the postwar period to the present.

Japan's Best-Known Ninja

Masaaki Hatsumi teaches the ways of the samurai and the art of ninjutsu to aspiring shadow warriors and law enforcement personnel from all over the world, receiving accolades from important figures and heads of state.

Eight things you probably didn't know about sports in Japan

Did you know these bits of trivia related to Japanese sporting life?

SERIES

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Breaking Limits with Spring-Loaded Limbs

Ken Endo, a researcher and developer in the field of prosthetics, has made it his goal for a runner with prosthetic legs to beat the 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist's time in the 100-meter dash at the Tokyo Paralympics.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Cultivating the Spark

Alexander Bennett's only knowledge of the martial art of kendo before he came to Japan was something he read on a cereal box. Now he's an internationally recognized expert whose life revolves around the way of the sword.

WOMEN IN THE LEAD
Discovering the Power of Sports

Yuko Arimori won two Olympic marathon medals, and she's been using the power of sports to help others ever since. As president of the NPO Hearts of Gold, her mission is to bring hope and courage to people regardless of country, race or physical ability.

DELECTABLE JOURNEYS
The Salt of Life

Salt from the sea and other essential goods were hauled along Salt Road from Japan's coastal areas to the mountainous territories inland - and delivered even to mortal enemies in need.