More than Medals: A History of the Paralympics and Disability Sport in Postwar Japan

Abstract

Tokyo enjoys a unique privilege in Paralympic history, becoming the first city to host two summer Paralympic games: one in 1964 and the other in 2020/2021. But between these periods is a rich legacy of disability sport in Japan, which has received little attention in English-language academic study. Dennis J. Frost's recent publication, More than Medals, addresses this gap, presenting an ambitious look at a variety of disability sports events in the country between 1964 and 2020—including the two aforementioned summer Paralympic games, the 1998 winter Paralympics in Nagano, the annual Ōita Wheelchair Marathon, and the pan-Asian FESPIC (Far East and South Pacific) games. Yet, Frost's analysis is much broader in scope, addressing not only the circumstances in the leadup, duration, and aftermath of these competitions but also the work of public and private organizations, policymakers, media outlets, and the athletes themselves in recognizing the impact disability sport has had on disability in Japan. The multifaceted approach draws on legislation, qualitative and quantitative media analysis, interviews, and archival data—among other sources—to highlight these temporal changes and the evolution of Japanese disability sport.Throughout, Frost argues that these national and international sporting events have had a tremendous impact on attitudes toward disability and disabled people in Japan, as well as legislation toward accessibility and equality, and the value of disability sport itself. This is done partially by emphasizing the shift in attitude toward the purpose of disability sport, demonstrated by the rehabilitative-focused sport of the 1964 games, as compared to the commercial and professional competition of the 2020 games. Frost's argument is a convincing one, as he does not shy away from the problematic aspects of this discussion, such as ongoing issues around media representation, concerns over funding and support for disability sport post-2021, and the often-overlooked role of Japan in Paralympic history, despite its athletic prominence. In this regard, many aspects of Frost's examples and arguments apply to disability sport history internationally, in that the book details the origins of the sport and development of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)—making it a great publication for those unfamiliar with the wider history of the Paralympics or disability sport.The book is structured simultaneously by chronology, event, and topic, linking a certain event with significant attitudes toward disability or developments in regard to the wider disability sport movement. For instance, the first chapter details the 1964 Paralympic games and the rehabilitative nature of early disability sport, whereas the fourth chapter speaks about the 1998 Nagano winter Paralympics and features an analysis of articles about disability sport in Japanese newspapers due to the association between these games and the development of new media. This proves an effective way to present these complex histories, although this structuring can occasionally feel jarring, such as the shift from preparations for the 2020 Paralympics to five autobiographical accounts of Japanese athletes in Chapter 5. These connections are well justified in each chapter, although this minor issue might have been offset via separation into distinct chapters. Nevertheless, it is commendable that Frost presents complex and overlapping narratives in such an accessible way, weaving between sporting events, sociopolitical changes, and historical narratives while keeping the topics accessible to those unfamiliar with either Japanese sociopolitical history or disability sport.Furthermore, the publication provides invaluable coverage of this history for the English-speaking audience. The second chapter, for instance, is a particular highlight of the book, as it details the history of the FESPIC Games, its organizers, and its relationship with the IPC, all of which are often left unaddressed in Western academic literature on disability sport. Importantly, Frost highlights many people at the center of these early developments who are little known in the West, such as Dr. Nakamura Yutaka, who was instrumental in the organization of the 1964 games and the establishment of the FESPIC Games and the Ōita International Wheelchair Marathon; and Watanbe Hanako, a welfare and labor scholar whose interest in 1960s Paralympics played a largely undocumented role in bringing the Paralympics to Japan. As well, certain parts of the book help to inform English-speaking readers about Japanese academic and mass-market literature on this subject, helping expand the reach of this literature outside Japan.To a limited degree, the elephant of COVID-19 and the delay of the 2020 games hangs over the latter sections of the book, as the speculation around the future of disability sport in Japan prepandemic already feels outdated. However, this was likely an unavoidable issue due to publication timing and has little impact on the final product. Overall, More than Medals remains an excellent publication, providing non-Japanese scholars with a rich and thoughtful account of the history of disability sport in Japan and the impact it has had on Japanese society.