By AYAKO FUJITA/ Staff Writer
December 1, 2025 at 07:00 JST
From teaching school to getting a gold medal on a podium, former Paralympian swimmer Junichi Kawai has shined inside and outside the pool.
Now, Kawai is making a splash as the head of the Japan Sports Agency, becoming the first Paralympian in October to assume the post that had been held by two Olympic gold medalists since its inception a decade ago.
Kawai was appointed to the position in his own right after winning a total of 21 Paralympic medals, including five golds.
Kawai started his career as a local public official when he was 22, teaching junior high school students.
"I never expected myself to become a national public official at 50," he told his staff at JSA, adding, "I have always explored ways to do things thought to be difficult or impossible. I want to work with you in a positive manner without giving up."
The Shizuoka Prefecture native started swimming when he was 5.
He was born blind in the left eye because of a congenital condition.
He could barely see with the right eye but lost complete sight when he was a third-year junior high schooler.
But his life was changed forever after he decided to compete in the Paralympics when he was in high school.
The rest is history.
He thought that it wouldn't be right to feel privileged because of his accomplishments and strived to improve the sports environment for the disabled.
In 2003, Kawai founded the Paralympians Association of Japan.
Thanks to his strenuous efforts, the Institute of Sports Sciences, which had been primarily utilized by Olympic hopefuls, opened its doors for Paralympic athletes as well.
Kawai had served as chairman of the Japan Paralympic Committee for the past five years.
He uses text-to-speech software to understand documents.
His current focus is to spread sports club activities in local areas and realize a society where everyone, regardless of disabilities, can become healthy both emotionally and physically.
"We can make things better when people with different views and perceptions share opinions," he said.
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Junichi Kawai, chairman of the Japan Paralympic Committee (Photo by Ayako Fujita)
