Japan first participated at the Olympic Games in 1912, and has competed at almost every Games since then. The nation was not invited to the 1948 Games after World War II, and Japan was part of the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
Japan hosted the Games on three occasions:
- 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
- 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, HokkaidÅ Prefecture
- 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture
Japan won its first medals in 1920, and its first gold medals in 1928. Japanese athletes have won 398 medals at the Summer Olympic Games (Except Art competitions at the 1936 Summer Olympics), with the most gold medals won in judo. Japan has also won 37 medals at the Winter Olympic Games.
The Japanese Olympic Committee was created in 1911 and recognized in 1912.
Famous quotes containing the word japan:
“I do not know that the United States can save civilization but at least by our example we can make people think and give them the opportunity of saving themselves. The trouble is that the people of Germany, Italy and Japan are not given the privilege of thinking.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)