JOC chief pledges to revive Japan's stalled Winter Olympics bid

Seiko Hashimoto, head of the Japanese Olympic Committee, affirmed the organization’s mission to attract major international sporting events and expressed readiness to revive a paused Winter Olympics bid. Speaking before the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, she argued that Japan ranks among the world’s leading three hosts for both summer and winter multisport competitions. The earlier Sapporo bid was suspended following corruption scandals tied to the Tokyo Games, yet regional groups in Hokkaido and Nagano have called for renewed proposals after the recent Milan-Cortina Games. Hashimoto also warned that rising material costs and labor shortages pose challenges for the Asian Games, but she believes overcoming them will build confidence for future events.