Japan’s Fast Start at the Asian Games—Hosts Second with 46 Medals
11 Gold, 16 Silver and 19 Bronze; China leads with 53 medals, while India is 8th with 7 medals
Sukhminder Bhangoo
At the ongoing 20th Asian Games—Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Japan, the host nation Japan has made an impressive start, winning 46 medals in the opening days of competition. Following the events held on September 22, Japan’s tally stood at 11 gold, 16 silver and 19 bronze medals, placing it second in the medal standings.
A notable feature of Japan’s performance is that its 19 bronze medals are the highest among all three medal categories in its tally so far. Of Japan’s 46 medals, silver and bronze have made a major contribution, while China has established a substantial lead in gold medals.
Swimming Makes a Major Contribution to Japan’s Gold-Medal Tally
On September 22, Japan won gold medals in swimming, gymnastics and fencing. 17-year-old Japanese swimmer Yumeki Kojima won the men’s 400m individual medley in 4:07.02, setting an Asian Games record. Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita won the silver medal in the same event.
In the women’s artistic gymnastics all-around, Aiko Sugihara won gold and achieved a notable milestone—she became the first Japanese gymnast to win Asian Games gold in this event.
Third Time Japan Is Hosting the Asian Games
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are being held from September 19 to October 4, 2026. This is Japan’s third time hosting the Asian Games. Previously, Tokyo hosted the Games in 1958, while Hiroshima hosted them in 1994.
The 2026 edition features participation from 45 countries/regions, with 469 medal events across 43 sports.
China Opens Up a Significant Lead
China leads the standings with 32 gold, 13 silver and 8 bronze medals, for a total of 53 medals. China has 21 more gold medals than Japan.
China has maintained a strong record at the Asian Games for decades. At the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, China won 383 medals, including 201 golds.
India Opens Its Account with 7 Medals
As of September 22, India had won 1 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals, for a total of 7 medals.
India’s first gold medal came from the women’s cricket team, which defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final. It was India’s first gold medal at these Games.
Shooting has made a significant contribution to India’s early medal tally. Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, Vidarsa Vinod, Himanshu Dhillon, Rudrankksh Patil and Parth Mane contributed to India’s shooting medals. Suchika Tariyal also won a bronze medal in MMA.
Medal Standings as of September 22
Japan: 11 gold, 16 silver, 19 bronze = 46 medals
Japan’s position: 2nd
China: 32 gold, 13 silver, 8 bronze = 53 medals — 1st
India: 1 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze = 7 medals
India’s position: 8th
Japan at Hangzhou 2022: 52 gold, 67 silver and 69 bronze = 188 medals
The medal standings mentioned above are as of September 22, 2026. The Asian Games in Japan will continue until October 4, 2026.
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Sukhminder Bhangoo, Staff Correspondent - Babushahi News Network, Ludhiana
bhangoo1164@gmail.com
Phone No. : 9815752449
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