With Japan's stellar performance in Athens still fresh in its memory, the nation is hoping to reach new heights by raking in a record number of medals at the Beijing Olympics.
Keiji Suzuki, attempting to become only the third man in history to win Olympic gold in two judo weight categories, will lead the country's athletes and officials into the National Stadium as the Games come to Asia after a 20-year wait.
Perennial underachiever but ever popular 19-year-old table tennis Ai Fukuhara will serve as captain of the 576-strong Japanese delegation for the Games, in which 302 gold medals in 28 sports will be up for grabs.
Japan has assembled its largest-ever group of 339 athletes in the hope of surpassing the 37 medals — 16 gold, nine silver and 12 bronze — it captured in Athens four years ago.