Japan weighs Asian Games entry for North Korea: Kyodo

Tokyo is reviewing whether to allow North Korean athletes and officials to enter Japan for the upcoming Asian Games, a Japanese media outlet reported Monday, citing a government source.

Kyodo News said Tokyo is considering allowing North Korean delegates to enter Japan for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, scheduled for Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.

Japan's sanctions on North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development ban North Korean nationals from entering Japan, but the country has previously made exceptions for international sporting events, such as a Paris Olympic qualifier held there in February 2024, when members of North Korea's women's football team were allowed to enter the country.

The North Korean delegation to the upcoming Asian Games is expected to consist of around 180 people, Kyodo reported, citing an official from the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan.

It would be the largest-ever North Korean delegation to visit Japan for a sporting event.

South Korea, meanwhile, will send 792 athletes to compete in 41 sports, accompanied by 260 officials, according to the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.

Yonhap