How many times has Japan hosted the Olympics?

Tokyo 2020: Ahead of the 2021 edition of the postponed Summer Games in the Japanese capital, Sportstar looks at the times when Japan has hosted the Olympics- both summer and winter

Kohei Jinno, 87, (left) who was forced to leave his house two times ahead of the 1964 and 2020 Olympics Games to make way for construction of the main stadium, walks next to the Olympic Rings monument outside the Japan Olympic Museum near the National Stadium.

When Tokyo and Sapporo were chosen as the host cities for the 1940 Summer and Winter Olympics respectively, they became the first non-Western cities that were selected to host the Olympics. 

However, before the plan could come to fruition, war broke out between Japan and China in 1937, which led to the Japanese Government forfeiting its right to host the Games.

Japan got its chance to host the Games again, this time, in 1964. This was the first time Japan successfully hosted an edition of the Olympics Games, which was held from October 10-24.

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In 1972, the Winter Olympics was hosted by Sapporo, a city in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. After the plans to host the 1940 Winter Olympics were cancelled due to the outbreak of the Second World War, Sapporo got its turn to host the 1972 edition, which took place from February 3-13.

Nagano, the capital and largest city in the Nagano Prefecture of Japan hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics, which took place from February 7-22.

Shinzo Abe won’t be around, at least not in an official capacity, when the postponed Olympics are set to open on July 23, 2021 after resigning from the Prime Minister's post due to a chronic health condition.

 

Tokyo again got the chance to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, Japan’s first in Summer Olympics in 56 years. However, it was postponed to 2021 due to the outbreak of the raging COVID-19 pandemic, which still has its roots dug deep across the globe. 

The Tokyo Games will finally begin on July 23 and end on August 8.