Japanese Paralympic Committee President Mitsunori Torihara has promised they will analyse and decide which sports to concentrate on at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games ©Tokyo 2020

Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC) President Mitsunori Torihara has admitted they will have to analyse and decide which sports to concentrate on at Tokyo 2020 after they failed to win a gold medal at Rio 2016 and ranked 59th overall, their worst ever performance. 

This performance followed London 2012, their previous worst ever performance when they had won 16 medals, although that did include five gold. 

At Rio 2016, Japan won 10 silvers and 14 bronzes but it was the first time ever that they failed to win a gold medal. 

Japan’s strongest performance came in athletics, winning four silvers and three bronzes.

Swimming also produced seven medals, two silvers and five bronzes.

In judo they earned one silver and three bronze medal. 

There was also a silver in boccia, two silvers in cycling, a bronze in wheelchair rugby and two bronzes in wheelchair tennis.

Japan's performance have gradually declined since Athens 2004, where they won a total of 53 medals, including 17 gold. 

Torihara is keen to address the failure to win gold at Rio 2016 and promised they would try to find a reason for the failure. 

"So far, judo, wheelchair tennis, athletics and in various sporting events we have strengths," he said.

"We had set gold medal targets [for Rio 2016], however, unfortunately sometimes we fail by a small margin and we haven't been able to get a gold medal.

"Brazilian athletes have performed well in Rio, just like we hope that Japanese athletes will perform well in Tokyo."

Makato Hirose in judo was one of Japan's 10 Paralympic silver medallists at Rio 2016 but the team's failure to win a gold meant it was their worst ever performance - just four years before Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images
Makato Hirose in judo was one of Japan's 10 Paralympic silver medallists at Rio 2016 but the team's failure to win a gold meant it was their worst ever performance - just four years before Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images

Torihara added that the JPC is keen to educate the local public about Paralympic sport in a bid to raise awareness. 

"Now our target is elementary and junior high school children who will be responsible for the next generation," he said.

"They will enjoy more and more opportunities to watch Para-sport competitions and learn about Paralympic sport and the Paralympic Movement.

"The Tokyo Government has already created a Paralympic sports education fund for elementary, junior high and high school students."

Tokyo will be the first city ever to host the Paralympic Games twice having hosted the second edition in 1964. 

All but one of the 23 venues for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo have now been approved with that for road cycling still yet to be confirmed.

In April, the IPC confirmed that track cycling at Tokyo 2020 will take place in Izu, a city 120 kilometres away from the Japanese capital.

The decision followed the news that Olympic events will also take place at the velodrome in Shizuoka Prefecture, to the south of the host city.

Organisers in Tokyo have made several changes to their venue blueprint as part of a bid to save an estimated $1 billion (£751 million/€897 million) - a move backed by the International Olympic Committee in February 2015.