"Tokyo Para is the power to remove the barrier of the heart" JPC New Chairman, January 4, 11:28
Junichi Kawai, newly appointed chairman of the JPC-Japan Paralympic Committee before the Tokyo Paralympic Games, told NHK, "I want to do my best to create an environment where Japanese players can play an active role. It helps remove barriers, ”he emphasized the significance of the Paralympic Games.
Junichi Kawai is a former athlete who has participated in six consecutive tournaments in the Para Parasports and Visual Impairment classes until the 2012 London Paralympic Games, and has won a total of 21 medals including five gold medals. I became the chair of the JPC for the first time.
He expressed his will for the Tokyo Paralympic Games, which will begin in August, saying, "We will do our best to fill the venue first and create an environment where Japanese players can play a major role."
He stated that he was aiming for 22 gold medals as the Japanese national team, saying, "We are now closely investigating."
He explained the significance of the Paralympic Games: "When I see the performance of real athletes, I am surprised and impressed, and it helps to remove barriers in my mind that I may have unconsciously. But the Paralympic Games are a celebration of human potential. The Paralympic Games are very valuable as a place to meet the possibilities that people have. "
Then, "The essence of a symbiotic society is to create a society where no one is left behind, and it is necessary to go beyond the hard barriers with hearts. To do so, people need to be aware of it and through the education of children, etc. I would like to encourage them, "he said, and expressed his willingness to realize a symbiotic society through the Tokyo Paralympics.