TOKYO: Japan will aim to win 55 medals including 20 golds at the upcoming Paris Olympics, Mitsugi Ogata, secretary general of the Japan Olympic Committee and head of Japan’s delegation to the Paris Games, said Wednesday.

Both figures would be the highest for Japan to win at an Olympics held overseas. Until now, the highest number of gold medals won overseas by the country is 16, at the 2004 Athens Games.

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Japan’s athletes won a total of 58 medals, including 27 golds.

A US data company has predicted that Japan will win 12 gold medals at the Paris Olympics. Ogata told reporters that the prediction is “reasonable.”

For the upcoming games, the JOC plans to improve support for Japanese athletes, such as sending mental health experts. It also plans to strengthen measures against slander on social media.

JIJI Press