Japan Sports Agency sets goals for Rio, Tokyo Olympics

Why do they always have to set goals? Why can't they just say, "We'll do our best." Countries always set goals and then get crucified in the media when the team doesn't perform. England did it with the recent Rugby World Cup, Australia does it with its swimming team, Brazil with its soccer team, New Zealand with rugby and Japan with just about every sport.

"Japan won seven golds at the 2012 London Olympics. The JSA calculates that 20 golds at Tokyo would put Japan third in the overall medal standings."

Here we go again! I hope they're also preparing the apologies and excuses as to why South Korea got near 20 gold medals but Japan got only five or so. They do this every time -- set some crazy limit, it is not even close, and then they blame the athletes (like Mori did with Asada, etc.) for public disappointment at the expectations that the athletes would win.

Just say you hope the athletes will do their best, and support them as much as possible.

Hate to put the kabosh on this, but we've heard it all before. The only difference is that previously it was the mass media pushing the wheel barrow rather than the government itself. Then again, I suppose they have to justify the outrageous amount of money they are spending on the Olympics. But then again, who cares it isn't like the money could be better spent on issues such as homelessness, physciatric care, getting the Tohoku disaster survivors out of their prefabs, putting more money into public education, advancing the social status of women and boosting the birthrate, etc. No Japan doesn't have any issues like that.....

At 20 gold medals, how much is that for each one based on the expense of hosting the games?

Well, with all the money printing, you hsve to use it somewhere, I suppose.

Abenomics: reviving the Japanese economy and reinvigorating the great, Yamato spirit. God bless

20 gold wow, thats aiming high even if you are hosting the Olympics. theyd have to win all the Judo and wrestling gold and a fair few other sports, 10 maybe 15 tops but I doubt 20+

Will anyone be held to account if not? Will there be a reduction in funding for those Olympic sports that failed to attain their targets? That is how it is for the British, who have actually done quite well in the past two Olympics. The targets set are pretty realistic - not just some vague hope based on supposed national characteristics - and designed to get value for the lottery money allocated.

I hope Japan do well at their home games, I'd hate to see an Apology Committee being set up at the end of 2020

My husband works closely with Suzuki. He's a good man and one of the leading members of a growing group of those wanting to change the way sport business is conducted in Japan. Although adding committee after committee is not conducive to progress generally, having a relatively young man and an all around stand up guy in this kind of position is only going to benefit everyone in this field overall.

Goal for the Rio Olympics "Don't catch some disease or parasite, or ingest any human waste while competing in their extremely-polluted water venue

Goal for the Tokyo Olympics "Help us build the d@ng stadium so you'll have a place to compete"

“In order to emerge to the top level of sports on a global basis, perhaps we need to focus not so much on harmony and cooperation but at times place emphasis on autonomy and creativity. Acting and thinking in a different manner.”

If this thinking could catch on, if the Games could see some of the athletes and new committee members succeed by using this approach, it could be a thin edge of the wedge which starts to chip away at the 'gotta have wa or else' mentality that demands workers and athletes be skin clad robots. It would be fun to see some characters, some individuals with personalities, emerge from the Games with medals.

I think Japan needs to encourage more ‘autonomy and creativity’ if it wants more entrepreneurs and a stronger economy. A paradigm shake is needed to get there.

As far as I remember the overwhelming majority of gold medals for Japan in the last Olympics were nothing much to do with "harmony and cooperation"; instead they came from events that involved solitary, autonomous people engaged in some kind of fighting.

The newly formed Japan Sports Agency has set ambitious goals for the nation’s athletes at both the Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Olympics.

Worry about getting your stadium done for the 2020 olympics, before you talk about setting targets.

The newly formed Japan Sports Agency has set ambitious goals for the nation’s athletes at both the Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Olympics.

IMHO, Japan puts too much emphasis on how it performs at various sporting events, especially the Olympics. It is almost as if the whole country needs the psychologcal reinforcement of success to convince itself that it is still a "great" country/society, and not one in decline. Ganbatte and all that samurai stuff. And, again, IMO, that puts way too much pressure on the athletes. The athletes may represent their country, but they should not be expected to carry the egos of 130 million people on their shoulders.

jerseyboy: "It is almost as if the whole country needs the psychologcal reinforcement of success to convince itself that it is still a "great" country/society, and not one in decline."

Not only that, they need said psychological reinforcement of success in the eyes of others -- hence all the opinion polls conducted constantly of what others think of Japan, favourite part, most surprising thing, etc. Likewise if there's a scandal on Japan's part in the world stage they feel much more ashamed and get more defensive than usual, as with the Tokyo stadium and emblem fiascos. The athletes should DEFINITELY not be pressured like this, and we seem them fail time and again when they are. Wasn't Mao even chewed out by leading politicians (past and present) when she lost to Kim Yuna for one of the golds Japan felt it was entitled to?

I wonder if they're already shining the gold medals for baseball and softball among their 20 despite the sports not being approved yet.

They do this ALL the time with their athletes. They set ridiculous target for their soccer team in Brazil, 2014. In the Confederations cup before that. The benchmark is always unrealistic. How about "give it your best shot" instead?