Japan's track and field athletes have enjoyed some notable achievements in recent years, including medal-winning feats by the men's 4x100-meter relay team and Yuta Shitara's recent national marathon record-breaking performance.
But with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in just over two years, the sport's leaders here do not want to waste time and hope to have further success with firm development plans for its athletes.
"Having observed the Pyeongchang Olympics and how our Japanese athletes had success in it, it made us reacknowledge that we've got to have proper development strategies," Japan Association of Athletics Federations development director Kazunori Asaba said at a news conference at Tokyo's National Training Center on Friday. "And they need support from both inside and outside."