Shunichiro Okano, 83, a former player and manager of Japan's national soccer team, is a believer in sports as a means of building bridges with other nations.

"It's a shame that a country set to host the 2020 Olympic Games lacks consideration for neighboring countries," Okano said in reference to Japan's strained relations with China and South Korea.

Okano was born into a family that runs a well-established confectionery store in Tokyo's Ueno district, where he survived the U.S. air raids in 1945.