Japan's judoka had an uncharacteristically dismal showing at the London Olympics four years ago, with Kaori Matsumoto winning the sole gold medal for the originator of the sport, in the women's 57-kg weight class.
Japan's supremacy came to an end, the country finishing with one gold, three silver and three bronze medals, while Russia and France grabbed the top-two spots on the medal table. For Japan's men it was all the more humiliating as they walked away without a gold medal for the first time since the judo competition started at the Olympics in 1964.
But the team heading to the Rio Olympics is more confident than ever about the competition getting under way at the Carioca Arena in Rio's Barra da Tijuca from Aug. 6-12, emboldened by strong performances at recent international competitions and the judo world championships in Astana last August.