We have witnessed Japanese athletes develop into global stars over the past 10, 20 years. But the country still has a long way to go in order to stand on an equal footing with the world's most advanced sports facilities.
A recent global sports conference and exhibition called "the Stadia and Arena Asia Pacific" could help move Japan in that direction.
The event, held Sept. 12-14 at Chiba's Makuhari Messe, provided a rare opportunity for the participants, who mainly consisted of sports administrators, venue operators and scholars, to get a feel for some of the cutting edge technology and insights from sports authorities in Japan.