Junichi Kawai, Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency

Towards achieving well-being through sports

Junichi Kawai, Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency

■ Profile
Born in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1975, he competed in the Paralympics as a swimmer for six consecutive games, starting with the 1992 Barcelona Games, winning a total of 21 medals, including 5 gold medals. He was the first Japanese person to be inducted into the International Paralympic Committee Hall of Fame. He has served as president of the Japan Paralympians Association, president of the Japan Para Swimming Federation, and chairman of the Japan Paralympic Committee, among other positions. In October 2025, he was appointed as the 3rd Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency.

Junichi Kawai, Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency, has a distinguished career as a Paralympic swimmer, educator, and head of sports administration, contributing significantly to the promotion of sports. In this interview, we spoke with Mr. Kawai about his vision for enabling all athletes to build successful careers throughout their lives, and his thoughts on a future where sports and society coexist.

■A career built by balancing swimming and teaching

I was born with low vision and became completely blind in my third year of junior high school. I started learning to swim when I was five years old, and I was drawn to the fun of swimming and the appeal of gaining speed in the water with buoyancy and water resistance, and I gradually became passionate about it. In my second year of high school, I made my debut at the Paralympics and was able to win a silver and a bronze medal. I wanted to win a gold medal next, so I continued my athletic career after entering university, and won a gold medal at the Atlanta Games in my third year of university. I also wanted to become a teacher, so I majored in education at university and balanced teacher training courses with swimming during my student life.
After graduating from university, I worked as a teacher at a public junior high school in Shizuoka Prefecture for five years, and then took a leave of absence to pursue graduate studies. After completing my studies, I returned to teaching and subsequently worked as an educational supervisor for special needs education at the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education, where I was responsible for teacher training. Later, I served as a full-time researcher at the National Institute of Sports Science, and in 2020, as the chairperson of the Japanese Paralympic Committee, I dedicated myself to ensuring the success of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. From October 2025, I became the first Paralympian to serve as Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency.

■Work as Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency

The people involved in sports are diverse, including not only athletes and their coaches, but also teachers and local government officials. As Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency, I have the opportunity to greet these individuals, visit sports competitions, and exchange opinions with many of them. Although I was a Paralympic athlete, I have also been involved in various fields such as education and sports medicine and science. I believe that my role is to utilize what I have gained through this series of experiences to aim for the resolution of social issues through sports.

■ Challenges surrounding athletes and the future of sports

I believe that athletes are individuals who can express irreplaceable dreams, goals, victories, and human strength, and it is important that they are the kind of people who inspire others to watch their efforts and want to support them. We need to cultivate individuals who can continuously demonstrate unique value and earn people's continued support. It is important not only to pursue results, but also to cultivate the character of the athlete themselves. I believe that only when athletes possess both technical skills and strong character can they be recognized by society.
One of the challenges for athletes is career development after retirement. While many tend to dedicate a significant portion of their lives to pursuing their dreams, athletes have a peak age, and their active careers are shorter compared to other professions, with physical decline also occurring. Many coaches and athletes only consider the period leading up to the end of their athletic careers, but I believe it's necessary to design one's life from an early stage, using time outside of competition, to avoid falling into a state of "not knowing what to do next" after retirement. In particular, I believe that regularly considering how to articulate what one has gained from sports and how to utilize it in society plays a crucial role in an athlete's post-retirement career.
Furthermore, the Japan Sports Agency is working on initiatives concerning the future of sports and society. Sports have five roles: "doing, watching, supporting, gathering, and connecting." We believe that people can experience the richness of life and well-being through sports, and we are working every day to create an environment where every citizen can move their body and make time to connect with their own body in their daily lives, so that they can achieve this state. Our goal is for sports to become a meaningful part of society.

■Message to students

I believe that the youth and energy that students possess are one of their strengths. I hope that they will channel that youth and energy into pursuing their dreams and contributing to society. Even if you don't know what you should strive for, by diligently doing what you can do now, you will begin to see what you want to do. You may be afraid of failure, but not trying is the biggest failure of all. Failures that arise from challenges become valuable experiences that can be used to improve for the future. I believe it is important for you to learn how to overcome failures.

Student Newspaper Online, June 10, 2026, Kyohei Nakazawa, 3rd year student at Waseda University

■Intern's impressions after conducting interviews

I am a third-year high school student attending a special needs school for the visually impaired, and I am dedicated to floor volleyball as an extracurricular activity. In the future, I would like to go to university and study how to create a society where everyone, regardless of disability, can dream of playing sports and aim to become an athlete.
This time, I had the invaluable opportunity to hear from Mr. Junichi Kawai, Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency, and I was able to ask two questions that are related to the themes I would like to study at university. One was "What is necessary to create a society where people with disabilities can aim to become athletes," and the other was "Career development for athletes after they retire from active competition."
For people with disabilities, who experience some degree of difficulty in their daily social lives, dedicating themselves to sports is by no means easy. I believe that many people give up on their dreams or abandon their sport simply because of their disability. I wanted to ask about systems and support measures to address this challenge.
However, Director Kawai's remarks were a little different from what I had imagined. As befits a former top athlete, he expressed the idea that "it is important for athletes to be someone that people want to support." He said that because athletes embody irreplaceable values ​​such as dreams, goals, and personal strength, people want to support them, and that support leads to social support and sponsorships. Hearing this, I felt that, like the athletes everyone admires, the charm and way of life itself that attracts people expands the circle of support, regardless of whether or not they have a disability.
The director also touched upon the theme of realizing an inclusive society, and I felt that, as a prerequisite, it is important for athletes to enhance their own value, appeal, and humanity.
Another thing that left a strong impression on me was the discussion about athletes' career development. Every sport has an end to one's active career. So, I asked about what is necessary for athletes, not just para-athletes, to develop their careers after retirement.
Director-General Kawai's answer went beyond just the perspective of a second career. He emphasized the importance of a "dual career," where one considers future life plans alongside their sport from their teenage years, rather than dedicating their life solely to competition. He said that precisely because one is dedicated to their sport, it is important to think about how to design one's future using time outside of practice and training, and that it is necessary to consider how to utilize the experiences gained through sports and the skills acquired outside of sports in society.
As I listened to Director-General Kawai's remarks, I realized that just as important as establishing systems is for athletes themselves to enhance their abilities, values, and character outside of their sport, and to proactively design their entire lives. I believe that if we create an environment that supports athletes who make such efforts, and establish systems that provide opportunities for competition and employment throughout society, it will lead to a richer society not only for para-athletes, but also for able-bodied athletes and sports enthusiasts.
This interview was less about getting answers and more about taking a deeper look at what I want to learn at university and how I want to contribute to society in the future. Hearing Commissioner Kawai talk about the values ​​of sports—"doing," "watching," "supporting," "gathering," and "connecting"—I feel that the immense potential of sports and the kind of society I want to create have become clearer than ever before.
At university, I am deepening my studies on creating an environment where athletes, regardless of disability, can continue competing while enhancing their own value. In the future, I would like to be involved in creating systems that support para-athletes in continuing their careers and in supporting their career development after retirement. I want to contribute to realizing a society where as many people as possible can pursue their dreams with peace of mind.

Taishin Setsumaru, 3rd year, General Course, Hanawa Hokichi Gakuen, Saitama Prefectural Special Needs School

Kyohei Nakazawa, 3rd year student at Waseda University / Chiharu Yamada, 2nd year student at the University of Information Management and Innovation / Taima Setsumaru, 3rd year student in the General Course at Hanawa Hokichi Gakuen, Saitama Prefectural Special Needs School / Reina Inomoto, 1st year student at Kyoto University of the Arts / Kenta Ito, 3rd year student at Waseda University