[4] The host nation's archery team was officially announced on March 21, 2021, with London 2012 silver medalist Takaharu Furukawa slated to shoot at his fifth consecutive Olympics.
Four marathon runners (two per gender) were the first set of Japanese track and field athletes being selected for the Games, with a top-two finish of their respective races at the Grand Championship in Tokyo on September 15, 2019.
[9][10] By winning the gold medals at the World Championships, race walkers Toshikazu Yamanishi and London 2012 Olympian Yusuke Suzuki were officially added to the track and field roster.
[13] Japan as the host nation, entered thirteen badminton players for each of the following events into the Olympic tournament based on the BWF Race to Tokyo Rankings.
Topping the podium in the women's omnium at the 2020 Worlds, Yumi Kajihara became the first Japanese rider to guarantee a spot on the host nation's track cycling team for the Games.
[32] Five more members on the squad were named on June 4, 2020, with sprint riders Yudai Nitta (London 2012) and Yuta Wakimoto (Rio 2016) booking their spots for the second Olympics.
The mountain biking team was officially named to the host nation's roster on June 5, 2020, with Kohei Yamamoto booking his fourth consecutive trip to the Games on the men's side.
Five-time Olympian Ken Terauchi and his Rio 2016 partner Sho Sakai became the first Japanese divers to be selected to the squad after finishing seventh in the men's synchronized springboard at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
[39] Key: As the host nation, Japan men's field hockey team qualified for the Olympics by virtue of obtaining a world ranking equal to or better than thirtieth place by the end of 2018, or not finish lower than sixth at the 2018 Asian Games.
As the host nation, Japan women's field hockey team qualified for the Olympics by virtue of obtaining a world ranking equal to or better than thirtieth place by the end of 2018, or not finish lower than sixth at the 2018 Asian Games.
[45] Head coach: Hajime Moriyasu * Overage player Japan women's football team automatically qualified for the Olympics as the host nation.
[58] Head coach: Ulrik Kirkely As the host nation, Japanese judoka have already received fourteen quota places (seven in each gender) at their disposal for the Games.
[59] On November 24, 2019, Akira Sone (women's +78 kg) became the first judoka to be selected to the host nation's squad for the Games, following her triumph at the IJF Grand Slam Cup in Osaka.
[60] Twelve more judoka were officially named to the roster on February 27, 2020, with Shohei Ono looking to defend his Olympic title in the men's 73-kg division on the home soil.
[63] With the cancellation of the last qualifying tournaments before the April 6, 2020 cutoff because of the coronavirus pandemic, World Karate Federation officially named the Japanese karateka to take up the host nation places based on the country's selection criteria.
Rio 2016 Olympians Shōhei Iwamoto and Natsumi Tomonaga confirmed places each in the men's and women's event, respectively, with the former finishing fourth and the latter second among those eligible for Olympic qualification at the 2019 Asia & Oceania Championships in Kunming, China.
[70] At the end of 2019 season, the Japanese Olympic Committee announced the first set of sailors to compete at the Enoshima regatta, including multiple world medalists Ai Kondo and Miho Yoshioka in the women's 470 class and three-time Olympian Makoto Tomizawa in men's windsurfing.
[71] The 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 crews were added to the roster on February 15, 2020, with windsurfer Yuki Sunaga and Laser Radial sailor Manami Doi joining them two weeks later upon the completion of their respective class-associated Worlds.
Japan, as the host nation, received a guaranteed place each in the gender-based combined events, unless a maximum of two men and two women were selected to the team based on competition results.
Hiroto Ohhara and Shino Matsuda secured a qualification slot each for their nation, as the highest-ranked at the 2021 ISA World Surfing Games in El Sunzal and La Bocana.
[80][81] Meanwhile, American-born Kanoa Igarashi finished within the top ten of those eligible for qualification in the World Surf League rankings to join Murakami and Matsuda on the host nation's roster.
[85] By winning individual gold medals in the medley double (200 and 400) at the 2019 FINA World Championships, Daiya Seto became the first Japanese swimmer to be directly selected to the Olympic team for Tokyo 2020.
[88] Japan entered six athletes into the table tennis competition at the Games, as the host nation was automatically entitled to use quota places each in the men's and women's teams.
Moreover, an additional berth was awarded to the Japanese table tennis players competing in the inaugural mixed doubles by advancing to the semifinal stage of the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Zhengzhou.
[89] The host nation's table tennis players were officially named on January 6, 2020, with Rio 2016 bronze medalist Jun Mizutani participating in his fourth straight Games.
On 9 February 2020, the Japanese Olympic Committee nominated the four athletes to take up the host nation places, with Mayu Hamada (women's 57 kg) leading them to her third consecutive Games.
[128][129] Two Japanese wrestlers claimed one of the remaining slots each in the men's freestyle 57 and 86 kg, respectively, to complete the host nation's roster at the 2021 World Qualification Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.