Japan’s medal total at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya reached 217 on October 1, driven by a surge of five medals in judo and four in wrestling, according to reporting by topics.smt.docomo.ne.jp. By the 22:00 announcement on the 12th day of competition, the Japanese delegation captured nine gold, two silver, and six bronze medals, bringing its cumulative gold count to 59.
Judo Squad Secures Medals Across Every Women’s Weight Class
The judo mat produced a steady stream of hardware for the Japanese team, capped by title runs and podium finishes across multiple categories. In the women’s 63kg division, Narumi Tanioka claimed gold by scoring with an osoto-gari throw just eight seconds remaining in the final. Rin Maeda followed with a gold medal in the women’s 70kg category, recovering from an opening match where an opponent bit her left hand to put together a dominant run through the bracket. With Shirokane Mioro taking bronze in the women’s 57kg class and Itsuki Ishihara earning bronze in the men’s 73kg division, the Japanese women’s team finished the day having medaled in every single weight class.
The standout performance on the men’s side came at 81kg, where Soutaro Fujiwara battled through a tough preliminary path before delivering a precise, polished display in the final. His victory marked the first time a Japanese judoka claimed the 81kg Asian Games title since Choo Sung-hoon won gold at the 2002 Busan Games, ending a 24-year drought for the nation in that weight class.
Yuriki Nakazato Breaks a 40-Year Heavyweight Drought in Greco-Roman Wrestling
Wrestling added four medals to the national tally, highlighted by a historic breakthrough from Yuriki Nakazato in the men’s Greco-Roman 97kg division. Nakazato defeated his Indian opponent in the final to capture the heavyweight crown, securing Japan’s first gold in a heavy Greco-Roman weight class at the Asian Games in 40 years. Nonoka Ozaki claimed gold in the women’s freestyle 62kg category, avenging her silver medal finish from the previous Hangzhou Games. Paris Olympic gold medalist Nao Kusaka settled for silver after dropping a 3-5 decision in the men’s Greco-Roman 77kg final, while Hayata Suzuki secured a bronze medal in the men’s 60kg Greco-Roman bracket after battling through the repechage.
Track Cycling Sweeps Three Golds While Men’s Volleyball Advances
Track cycling accounted for three of the day’s nine gold medals. Kaiya Ota defended his title in the men’s sprint to win his second Asian Games gold medal in the event, while victories in the women’s madison and men’s omnium rounded out a dominant session on the velodrome. In sport climbing, Ai Mori captured the silver medal in the women’s boulder final, adding a second podium finish to the gold she won in the boulder-and-lead combined event at the Hangzhou edition, while teammate Tomoa Nonaka placed sixth.
On the team sports front, the fifth-ranked Japanese men’s volleyball team swept Qatar in straight sets (25-14, 25-13, 25-12) during the quarterfinals. Yuto Kai led the attack with a team-high 10 points. The victory moves the previous bronze medalists two wins away from their first gold medal since the 2010 Guangzhou Games. In softball, 44-year-old veteran Yukiko Uyo made her first pitching appearance of the tournament, working through traffic to anchor a victory over Chinese Taipei that keeps Japan undefeated at 6 wins in the preliminary round.
Medal Breakdown for October 1
As of the 22:00 official release on October 1, Japan’s daily haul of 17 total medals moved the country’s overall count to 217. The day’s gold medals included titles in canoe slalom (Kurumi Ito in women’s kayak single), cycling (women’s madison squad of Ayana Uchino, Maho Kakida, and Mizuki Ikeda; men’s sprint by Kaiya Ota; men’s omnium by Kanta Umezawa), judo (Narumi Tanioka, Soutaro Fujiwara, Rin Maeda), and wrestling (Yuriki Nakazato, Nonoka Ozaki). Silver medals went to Nao Kusaka in wrestling and Ai Mori in climbing, while bronze medals were won by the equestrian jumping team, the women’s squash team, judokas Shirokane Mioro and Itsuki Ishihara, wrestler Hayata Suzuki, and taekwondo competitor Yuko Niwa in poomsae.
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