Japan earned more medals at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics on Sunday, bringing its total medal tally to 31, a record high for the country in a single Deaflympics. The previous record high number of medals for Japan was 30, earned in the previous 2022 Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
Japan dominated the men’s hammer throw at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics on Thursday, sweeping the podium as 21-year-old Riki Toyama captured gold with a personal best of 60.19 meters, followed by world record holder Masatoshi Morimoto with 56.04 meters and Takamasa Ishida with 55.51 meters. In the pool, Ryutaro Ibara, a four-time gold medalist at the 2022 Games, added a silver in the men’s 400-meter freestyle with a time of 4:05.11. Toyama, who embraced his senior teammates after securing victory, said he owed his breakthrough to learning from Morimoto and Ishida.
Japan’s first judo podium came on Nov. 14, when Kazuma Gamo secured bronze in the men’s 73-kilogram division. The remaining medals followed on Nov. 17, with Yuto Fukasawa taking bronze in the men’s 81-kg class, Mizuki Mizutare in the men’s 90-kg, and Tomoki Takahashi in the men’s 100-kg. In the women’s events, Akira Kinugawa added another bronze in the 70-kg category.
Maki Yamada won the men’s 400-meter race at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics on Wednesday, earning Japan its first gold medal at the ongoing event.
Japanese sprinter Maki Yamada won the men’s 400-meter race at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics on Wednesday, earning Japan its first gold medal at the ongoing event. Yamada finished the race in 47.61 seconds, rewriting his own deaf Japan record. “I’ve worked hard to win a gold medal at the Tokyo Games,” he said. “My efforts have paid off.”
Japan’s first judo podium came on Nov. 14, when Kazuma Gamo secured bronze in the men’s 73-kilogram division. The remaining medals followed on Nov. 17, with Yuto Fukasawa taking bronze in the men’s 81-kg class, Mizuki Mizutare in the men’s 90-kg, and Tomoki Takahashi in the men’s 100-kg. In the women’s events, Akira Kinugawa added another bronze in the 70-kg category.
The developer of the “starting light” device hopes that the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, which began on Saturday, will raise awareness about the deaf community. The device will be used alongside the starting pistol for track events at the quadrennial sports festival for people with hearing difficulties. “I hope people become more aware of the difficulties that those who are hard of hearing go through,” said Masahisa Takemi, a 50-year-old teacher at the Central School for the Deaf, run by the Tokyo metropolitan government, who was involved in the development of the device.
India’s Dhanush Srikanth won the men’s 10-meter air rifle event at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, setting a new world record and giving India an early gold, while South Korea’s Jeong Suk-hwa claimed her country’s first gold of the Games in the women’s 10-meter air rifle.
The Deaflympics officially opened Saturday in Tokyo, marking the first time Japan has hosted the international sporting event for the deaf or hard of hearing. A record 3,081 athletes from 81 countries and regions, as well as a refugee team and a neutral team competing under the Deaflympics flag, have made the final entry list for the games, with the opening ceremony held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in the heart of the Japanese capital.
The Japan Deaf Football Association has been conducting a crowdfunding campaign to livestream all soccer matches of the Tokyo Deaflympics which opened Saturday. Although only a limited number of matches are scheduled to be shown on the official YouTube channel, the association hopes to expand coverage using funds from the campaign, which runs until around Nov. 20 and has already raised more than its target of 1.5 million yen ($9,800).
Japan is preparing to host its first-ever Deaflympics from Nov. 15 to 26, with events held in Tokyo, Shizuoka, and Fukushima, and Narita airport stepping up accessibility measures for the thousands of athletes and visitors expected from around 80 countries. The airport has introduced pictogram signage, written communication tools, and staff training sessions led by people with hearing impairments to improve interactions with deaf and hard-of-hearing travelers. Meanwhile, the Tokyo metropolitan government is offering sign language lessons to its employees to ensure smooth event operations and promote greater understanding of the deaf community ahead of the 12-day international sporting event.
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