The 2026 Asian Games opening ceremony was held on 19 September 2026 at 18:00 to 20:00 JST (UTC+09:00) at Paloma Mizuho Stadium.
Background Japanese filmmaker Yukihiko Tsutsumi was appointed as the creative director of the ceremonies. The opening ceremonies' theme was "Harmonic Heart Beat", with the stage being in the shape of a heart. According to Tsutsumi, the heart motif symbolizes "the spirit of warm hospitality" that defines the hosts Nagoya and Aichi. It is also meant to represent the connection between Asian countries. The stage, cauldron, as well as the planning, production and operation of the opening and closing ceremonies were done by the Chinese firm Dafeng Industry.
Tickets were reportedly sold out. Although there were conflicting reports that 70% of the tickets were sold and that there were "thousands" of vacant seats during the event. It was noted that a row of seats had to be left empty for the placement of the cauldron.
Emperor Naruhito officially declared the Games open. Father-and-son hammer throwers Shigenobu and Koji Murofushi lit the cauldron.
Proceedings Pre-opening ceremony activities Prior to the opening ceremony proper, activities were held on the opening day of the 2026 Asian Games, including a flyover by the Blue Impulse aerobatics squad.
The Warm-Up Stage event occurred at 16:00 (UTC+9), or two hours prior to the opening ceremony. It featured acts from INI, the Shigō District Bō-no-te Preservation Society, Takuichiro Kobayashi, and Rina Kato.
Welcome Aichi-Nagoya The opening ceremony officially starged at 18:00 (UTC+9) at the 35,000-seat Paloma Mizuho Stadium.
In the opening segment "Welcome Aichi-Nagoya – Awakening of the Space and the Resonating Heart Beat", Japanese violinist Taro Hakase performing atop the heart-shaped central stage. Beneath him, 240 citizen dancers moved in coordination with Hakase's upbeat performance before eventually forming the word "Welcome."
The flag of Japan was raised with the Keiko Toda leading the singing of Kimigayo, the national anthem of Japan.
Parade of Nations The 2026 Asian Games Parade of Nations was part of the opening ceremony. The delegations of the games marched to the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in alphabetical order in IOC 3-letters codes.
For the purposes of the parade, South Korea was designated as "Korea", while North Korea was listed as "DPR Korea." Taiwan which competes as "Chinese Taipei", is sorted under "T" and was slotted after Syria and before Tajikistan. The Asian Refugee Team, designated as the "OCA Refugee Team" during the ceremony, entered after Yemen and immediately before host nation Japan, which was the final delegation to enter.
Each team bore a placard with the delegation's English name on one side and its Japanese name on the other. In some cases, the two names were not exact translations of each other (for example, South Korea's placard read "Korea" in English, but the full name 大韓民国 ("Republic of Korea") in Japanese instead of the short name 韓国). Also in some cases (for example China and Korea), the English announcer read out full names while the placards used short names.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLFU1_TbMf8
OrderNationOfficial designationFlag bearersSport12Mustafa HussainBasketballAneesa MahmoodEquestrian3Abdullah Hel BakiShootingHumaira Akter AntoraKarate4Kinley TsheringArcheryKinga WangmoBoxing5Brunei Darussalam67Hu MingxuanBasketballWu YuBoxing8DPR KoreaHwang Hyo-sunBoxingWoo Tae-ryongTable tennis9Hong Kong, ChinaIvan YangBasketballLydia ShamWushu10 Pawan Sehrawat KabaddiManu BhakerShooting11Daniel Hutapea Karate Dewa Ayu Made SriarthaBasketball 12IR IranZahra KianiWushuFazel Atrachali Kabaddi1314Abdelrahman Al-MasatfaKarateJood Al-Dross1516KoreaKim Dong-yongRowingShin Yu-binTable tennis171819Lao PDR20Michael YaredModern pentathlonMaria ChedidTeqball21Macao, China22Tan Cheong Min WushuMuhd Azeem FahmiAthletics23242526Chandra Bahadur ThapaBoxingManmati BistKabaddi2728Noor ZamanSquash Fatima Sana Cricket 2930Aira VillegasBoxingAlbert Delos SantosWeightlifting31Mohammed Saadon Al KuwariPadelReem Al SharshaniShooting32Khalifah Al-OmairiFencingYara Al-OmariBoxing33Brandon OoiCanoeing Kiria TikanahFencing34Isiwaruna De SilvaModern pentathlon Nuyara FernandoGymnastics3536Huang Hsiao-wenBoxing Zhang Huan-yi Wushu3738Chalermcharn YotviriyapanitEquestrianThatdao NuekjangVolleyball394041Al Hayam Saif Al BalooshiFencingFaris Al Balooshi 42Turabek KhabibullaevBoxingGulistan PerdebaevaFencing43Lê Thanh Thúy VolleyballĐinh Quang KiệtFootball4445 Asian Refugee TeamOCA Refugee TeamMahmoud Jasem MuhammadTaekwondoTala Hasan Hunaidi46 Akari FujinamiWrestlingRim NakamuraCycling
Post-parade activities After the parade, Aichi–Nagoya Organizing Committee president Hideaki Ōmura and Olympic Council of Asia president Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani delivered their speeches. Emperor Naruhito declared the games open. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) flag was raised to the short version of its anthem. Yuri Tanaka and Ryoichi Akamatsu led the athletes' oath in Japanese language.
"In Aichi–Nagoya, the Heart Beat of Tradition", the development of the host localities were showcased with a mix of traditional and contemporary elements.
In "A Manufacturing Excellence in Aichi–Nagoya: Harmony Connecting to the Future", the performances featured the local manufacturing industry.
The torch relay which started on 22 August 2026, ended at the latter part of the 2026 Asian Games opening ceremony. Inside the stadium, the torch was relayed by wrestler Akari Fujinami, swimmer Kosuke Kitajima, sprinter Koji Ito, and badminton player Reika Takahashi. Takahashi passed the torch to father-and-son hammer throwers Shigenobu and Koji Murofushi who then jointly lit the cauldron, bringing the ceremony to a close.
Officials and guests Host country dignitaries Imperial House of Japan Emperor Naruhito Empress Masako Crown Prince Fumihito Crown Princess Kiko
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was expected to attend the event but did not, citing schedule conflicts.
International organizations President of the IOC Kirsty Coventry President of the OCA Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani
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