NAGOYA, Japan — Japan is closing in on its all-time Asian Games medal record as the home nation enters the final stretch of Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Reuters reported on October 1 that Japan was approaching the 218-medal mark achieved when Hiroshima hosted the Games in 1994. Home athletes continued to add medals in wrestling and other disciplines, keeping the host nation firmly among Asia’s leading medal collectors.
A home Games campaign
Hosting a continental multi-sport event creates an unusual combination of competition and public attention. Japanese athletes are competing in familiar surroundings while the organising committee manages venues, transport, accommodation and the demands of thousands of participants. Aichi and Nagoya are hosting the Games through October 4, with competition spread across dozens of venues.
Wrestling adds to Japan’s total
Japan’s wrestling programme produced several important results on October 1. Yuri Nakazato won men’s Greco-Roman 97kg gold after defeating India’s Nitesh Siwach 4-0. Nonoka Ozaki also took women’s freestyle 62kg gold after beating North Korea’s Kim Ok Ju 3-0. Olympic champion Nao Kusaka reached the men’s Greco-Roman 77kg final but settled for silver after losing to Iran’s Alireza Abdevali.
Kusaka’s quarterfinal against Kazakhstan’s Demeu Zhadrayev was particularly dramatic because it repeated the Olympic final matchup from Paris. Kusaka recovered from a 9-4 deficit to win 11-9 before losing the Asian Games final.
Japan’s medal table position
Japan remained second behind China in the overall standings. Its medal total was already around 200 by October 1 in published tables, meaning only a modest number of additional medals would be required to pass the 218-medal record. The precise total changes throughout each competition day as results are confirmed.
India, meanwhile, remained eighth and continued its own medal campaign. NewsNationOnline’s Aichi-Nagoya 2026 guide provides background on the Games and India’s participation.
The final days
The remaining schedule includes decisive team finals and medal events in a range of sports. Japan will continue to chase medals in front of home spectators while China seeks to extend its lead. The closing ceremony on October 4 will mark the end of the 20th Asian Games.
Official schedules and results are available from the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 organising committee. The Olympic Council of Asia also provides continental competition information.
A record within reach
Japan’s pursuit of the 218-medal benchmark gives the final days an additional storyline. The record was established more than three decades ago, and reaching or passing it on home soil would become one of the notable statistical markers of Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Whether the record is surpassed will depend on the results of the remaining events, but the host nation has already established a substantial medal haul.
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