Japan

Tokyo 2016's Bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games reached for the skies as Official Bid Partners, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL), unveiled Tokyo 2016 branded planes.

Tokyo 2016 kicked off the one-year countdown to select the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games' host city by staging a celebration at Midtown - the latest redevelopment in the heart of Japan's capital.

The plans of Japan’s newly launched Tourism Agency to encourage 20million foreign visitors to the country by 2020 have been endorsed byTokyo 2016.

Tokyo 2016 and the Japan Olympic Academy (JOA) hosted a lecture by Dr. Gene Sutton, Executive Board Member of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and head of the Canadian Olympic Academy (COA), to discuss education related activities in Canada, host country of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Russia’s minister of regional development says he has been inspired by Beijing 2008 and that the Sochi Organising Committee will analyse every detail of the Olympic and Paralympic experience to ensure the 2014 Winter Games are equally impressive.

Spanish football club, Real Madrid and Total Sports Asia (TSA) has appointed Japanese digital content developer, MLC Inc, to launch the official mobile website of Real Madrid in Japan.

An investigation by UK public-service broadcaster, the BBC, has uncovered allegations that the Japanese cycling event, Keirin, "may have bought its way" into the Olympic Games.

Dr Ichiro Kono, Chairman and CEO of TOKYO 2016 said that Japanese support for hosting the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games is currently over 70 per cent and rising every day.

The leading candidate cities for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games have made fresh moves to highlight the green credentials of their respective bids.

The Governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara unveiled a highly symbolic new TOKYO 2016 emblem and launched the TOKYO 2016 athletes' commission, headed by renowned Olympic medallist, Ms Mikako Kotani.

The International Olympic Committee selected Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo as candidate cities for the 2016 Olympic Games. Doha missed out on selection, while Madrid and Tokyo appear the cities to beat in the early running.

Japanese car manufacturer Mazda agreed to become the main sponsor for two all-star baseball matches organised by the Nippon Professional Baseball Association in Japan.

The Tokyo 2016 Bid Committee appointed Tomoko Yoshihara, former Japanese national volleyball captain and three-time Olympian, to the Committee as an integral member of its communication team.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced that Japan will host the IRB Junior World Championship in 2009.

The Super Aguri team withdrew from the Formula One World Championship with immediate effect because of a lack of funding.

MP & Silva acquired the exclusive media rights to the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Women’s and Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tokyo, Japan from Dentsu.