Japan at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids at the Olympics
IOC code	JPN
NOC	Japanese Olympic Committee
Website
Medals Ranked 10th	Gold Silver Bronze Total 206 191 221 618
Summer appearances
1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winter appearances
1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018

Japan first joined the Olympic Games in 1912. Since then, they have competed in almost every Games. Japan did not take part in the 1948 Games after World War II. They also did not go to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

Japan won its first Olympic medals in 1920. Their first gold medals came in 1928. Japanese athletes have won 542 medals at the Summer Olympic Games. Most of these gold medals are in judo, gymnastics, wrestling, and swimming. This count is up to the end of the 2020 Summer Olympics. Japan has also won 76 medals at the Winter Olympic Games. Their best Olympics was the 2020 Games, which took place in Tokyo.

The Japanese Olympic Committee was started in 1911. It was officially recognized in 1912.

Japan as an Olympic Host

Japan has hosted the Olympic Games four times. This includes the 2020 Summer Olympics, which was moved to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cancelled Games Japan Would Host

Japan was supposed to host two Olympic Games that were later cancelled.

Unsuccessful Bids to Host Games

Japan has also tried to host the Olympics several times but was not chosen.

Olympic Medals for Japan

      Host country Japan has won many medals over the years. Here's a look at their success.

Summer Olympics Medals by Year

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1912 Stockholm	2	0	0	0	0	–
1920 Antwerp	15	0	2	0	2	17
1924 Paris	19	0	0	1	1	23
1928 Amsterdam	43	2	2	1	5	15
1932 Los Angeles	131	7	7	4	18	5
1936 Berlin	156	6	4	8	18	8
1952 Helsinki	69	1	6	2	9	17
1956 Melbourne	110	4	10	5	19	10
1960 Rome	162	4	7	7	18	8
1964 Tokyo	328	16	5	8	29	3
1968 Mexico City	171	11	7	7	25	3
1972 Munich	184	13	8	8	29	5
1976 Montreal	213	9	6	10	25	5
1984 Los Angeles	226	10	8	14	32	7
1988 Seoul	255	4	3	7	14	14
1992 Barcelona	256	3	8	11	22	17
1996 Atlanta	306	3	6	5	14	23
2000 Sydney	266	5	8	5	18	15
2004 Athens	306	16	9	12	37	5
2008 Beijing	332	9	8	8	25	8
2012 London	295	7	14	17	38	11
2016 Rio de Janeiro	338	12	8	21	41	6
2020 Tokyo	556	27	14	17	58	3
2024 Paris	403	20	12	13	45	3
Total (24/30)	5,142	189	162	191	542	8

Winter Olympics Medals by Year

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1928 St. Moritz	6	0	0	0	0	–
1932 Lake Placid	16	0	0	0	0	–
1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen	31	0	0	0	0	–
1952 Oslo	13	0	0	0	0	–
1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo	10	0	1	0	1	11
1960 Squaw Valley	41	0	0	0	0	–
1964 Innsbruck	47	0	0	0	0	–
1968 Grenoble	61	0	0	0	0	–
1972 Sapporo	85	1	1	1	3	11
1976 Innsbruck	58	0	0	0	0	–
1980 Lake Placid	50	0	1	0	1	15
1984 Sarajevo	39	0	1	0	1	14
1988 Calgary	48	0	0	1	1	16
1992 Albertville	60	1	2	4	7	11
1994 Lillehammer	59	1	2	2	5	11
1998 Nagano	156	5	1	4	10	7
2002 Salt Lake City	103	0	1	1	2	21
2006 Turin	110	1	0	0	1	18
2010 Vancouver	94	0	3	2	5	20
2014 Sochi	113	1	4	3	8	17
2018 Pyeongchang	124	4	5	4	13	11
2022 Beijing	124	3	7	8	18	12
Total (23/24)	1,448	17	29	30	76	17

Summer Olympics Medals by Sport

Winter Olympics Medals by Sport

Youth Olympic Games Medals

Japan also competes in the Youth Olympic Games. These games are for younger athletes.

Summer Youth Games Medals

Winter Youth Games Medals

Summer Youth Games Medals by Sport

Leading in that sport Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total Gymnastics 7 3 3 13 Wrestling 6 0 2 8 Athletics 3 7 3 13 Swimming 3 2 5 10 Judo 3 0 1 4 Table tennis 2 5 0 7 Karate 1 3 0 4 Tennis 1 1 1 3 Fencing 1 1 0 2 Sport climbing 1 1 0 2 Dancesport 1 0 1 2 Triathlon 1 0 0 1 Badminton 0 1 1 2 Boxing 0 1 1 2 Futsal 0 1 0 1 Cycling 0 0 1 1 Rugby 0 0 1 1 Totals (17 entries) 30 26 20 76

Winter Youth Games Medals by Sport

Leading in that sport Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total Snowboarding 5 3 1 9 Speed skating 3 6 5 14 Figure skating 2 1 0 3 Ice hockey 2 0 1 3 Ski jumping 1 1 1 3 Nordic combined 0 1 1 2 Short track speed skating 0 1 1 2 Alpine skiing 0 1 0 1 Cross-country skiing 0 1 0 1 Curling 0 1 0 1 Totals (10 entries) 13 16 10 39

Mottos of Hosted Olympics

Each Olympic Games has a special motto. These mottos share the spirit and goals of the event.

1964 Summer Olympics Motto

The 1964 Summer Olympics was the first time Japan hosted the Games. It took place in the capital city of Tokyo. This was also the first time the Olympics were held in Asia.

1972 Winter Olympics Motto

The 1972 Winter Olympics was the second time Japan hosted the Olympics. It was the first time the Games were held outside Tokyo, taking place in Sapporo. Because Sapporo is very snowy, Japan hosted its first Winter Olympics there. It was also the first Winter Olympics held in Asia.

1998 Winter Olympics Motto

The 1998 Winter Olympics was the third time Japan hosted the Olympics, and the second time for the Winter Games. It was held in Nagano. The motto for these Games was Coexistence with Nature (自然との共存).

2020 Summer Olympics Motto

The 2020 Summer Olympics was the fourth time Japan hosted the Olympics. It was held in 2021 instead of 2020 because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. This was the second time Tokyo hosted the Summer Games. Its motto was United by Emotion (感動で、私たちはひとつになる). Only the English version of the motto was used during the Games.

This motto means that "Sports help us overcome differences and become one world. This happens through the joy and excitement that athletes' performances bring to our hearts."

More About Japan and the Olympics

In Spanish: Japón en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

• List of flag bearers for Japan at the Olympics
• Category:Olympic competitors for Japan
• Japan at the Paralympics
• Japan at the Asian Games