Japan to deploy 10,000 police officers for Asian Games opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is scheduled for September 19 at an athletics stadium in Nagoya. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are expected to attend, while Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is not expected to be present.

Of the officers assigned to the operation, approximately 3,100 will be members of specially dispatched units from police forces across Japan, according to the agency.

Areas within around 1 kilometer of the ceremony venue and the imperial couple’s accommodation will be designated as no-fly zones for drones under a recently revised law that tightened regulations on small unmanned aircraft. The event will mark the first application of the revised drone regulations at an event attended by the emperor.

Japanese authorities are also strengthening measures against potential “lone wolf” terrorist attacks. The National Police Agency will establish an information center on Monday to collect and analyze security-related information, including threatening posts on social media.

The Asian Games will bring together athletes from countries including North Korea and Iran, with Japan hosting the continental sporting event for the first time since 1994.

The Games will be held primarily in Aichi Prefecture and will run from September 19 through October 4.

Athletes will be accommodated aboard a cruise ship docked at Nagoya Port, prompting police to coordinate closely with the Japan Coast Guard to strengthen surveillance in and around the port area.

Earlier, Qazinform reported Kazakhstan would debut in padel at the 2026 Asian Games.