Japan

The Australian and New Zealand rugby union authorities are aiming to generate more revenues in Asia, particularly Japan, as interest in their home markets has hit a new low.

Stockholm-based agency IEC in Sports will distribute the international television rights for the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup 2009, which takes place in Japan this November, under a new deal announced yesterday.

Japan's Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the two cities that suffered nuclear attacks at the end of World War Two, are considering a joint bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

The MP & Silva agency will sell the media rights for the English Premier League in Japan and Vietnam for the period 2010-11 to 2012-13 after agreeing new deals with the league.

New Prime Minister of Japan Yukio Hatoyama announced yesterday that he will fly to Copenhagen to offer support to Tokyo’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), last week received a Declaration of fair play by representatives of the World Kids’ Sports Summit in Yokohama, Japan.

The IOC has praised the high quality of the four bids to host the 2016 Summer Olympics in its Evaluation Commission report, but also highlighted flaws in each bid.

Madrid’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games has the best public support in its home country, whilst Tokyo has the weakest, according a new report by German research consultancy Sport+Markt.

Japanese Formula One venue Suzuka, and European Grand Prix venue Valencia have extended their deals to host Formula One races.

The organisers of Tokyo’s bid to host the Olympics Summer Games in 2016 have 17 Japanese companies on board as official sponsors.

Japanese commercial broadcaster Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) extended its deal for the television rights to International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) events through to 2019.

A high-level Tokyo 2016 delegation attending the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin has commended the legacy model of the city's Olympic Stadium.

Dr Ichiro Kono, chairman and CEO of the Tokyo 2016 Bid Committee, yesterday underlined the huge support offered by the Japanese people and the citizens of Tokyo for the city's bid.

England’s promise of big revenues secured it the Rugby World Cup 2015, while the IRB hope to spread the game by selecting Japan as 2019 host.

South Africa and Italy are lobbying against England’s bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2015, arguing that the process was weighted in favour of the British.

Tokyo 2016 welcomed the announcement from luxury travel magazine, Wanderlust, that it has chosen Japan as the world’s top destination for international tourists.