Japan at the 1928 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 1928 Winter Olympics

Japan competed at the Winter Olympic Games for the first time at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Japan at the 1932 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 1932 Winter Olympics

Japan competed at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States.

Japan at the 1936 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 1936 Winter Olympics

Japan competed at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. With Sapporo being the host of the cancelled 1940 Winter Olympics, a Japanese segment was performed at the closing ceremony.

Japan at the 1952 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 1952 Winter Olympics

Japan competed at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway. Japan returned to the Winter Games after not being invited to the 1948 Winter Olympics because of the nation's role in World War II.

Japan at the 1956 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 1956 Winter Olympics

Japan competed at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Chiharu Igaya won the nation's first ever medal and the first ever Asian champion at the Winter Olympic Games.

Japan at the 1972 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 1972 Winter Olympics

Japan was the host nation for the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo. It was the first time that Japan had hosted the Winter Olympic Games, but second time overall after the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. It was also the first Winter Olympic Games held in Asia. The host nation sent 90 athletes, consisting of 70 men and 20 women, along with 20 officers. The flag bearer for the Japanese team, Mineyuki Mashiko did not participate in the game, but instead held the position of team manager.

Japan at the 1980 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 1980 Winter Olympics

Japan competed at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States.

Japan at the 2002 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 2002 Winter Olympics

Japan competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States.

Japan at the 2006 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Japan competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Shizuka Arakawa won the country's only medal, a gold, in women's figure skating. She was the first person born and raised in Asia to become an Olympic champion in that event. Athletes representing Japan participated in all but one of the 2006 Olympics' 15 sports, with Ice hockey the only exception.

Japan at the 2010 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Japan participated in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Ninety-four athletes participated in all sports except ice hockey. Japanese athletes earned five medals at the games, including three silver and two bronze, short of the 10-medal goal set by the Japanese Olympic team prior to the event. One-hundred eleven Japanese sports officials and coaches accompanied the 94 athletes to the games, a far higher ratio of staff-to-athlete than most other participating nations.

Japan at the 2014 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 2014 Winter Olympics

Japan competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia from 7 to 23 February 2014. Japan's team consisted of 136 athletes in all 15 sports.

Japan at the 2018 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Japan competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9 to 25 February 2018, with 124 competitors in 13 sports. They won 13 medals in total, four gold, five silver and four bronze, ranking 11th in the medal table. Six medals of those were won in the speed skating events.

Japan at the 2022 Winter OlympicsW
Japan at the 2022 Winter Olympics

Japan is scheduled to compete at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022.