Marathon champion Mizuki Noguchi will be the first Japanese person to carry the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch, it has been confirmed.

Japan's Tadahiro Nomura is widely considered the greatest judoka in Olympic history, having won gold medals in the under 60 kilogram category at Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens. Nomura is only judoka to have won three consecutive Olympic gold medals. He was first Olympic competitor from Asia to win three consecutive gold medals in any event. His win in Athens was 100th gold medal won by Japan in the Summer Olympics since the country's debut at Stockholm in 1912. Nomura's father was the coach of Shinji Hosokawa, winner of an Olympic gold medal at Los Angeles 1984 in the same division. Nomura's uncle, Toyokazu Nomura, meanwhile, was also an Olympic gold medalist at Munich 1972 in the under 70 kg division.

Three-time Olympic judo gold medallist Tadahiro Nomura has announced he will retire from competition after the All-Japan Businessmen’s Individual Championship this weekend.