[1] Kiyokawa was born in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, and graduated from the Tokyo College of Commerce (now Hitotsubashi University).

Selected as a member of the Japanese swimming team at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, he won the gold medal in the 100 m backstroke event, with teammates Toshio Irie and Kentaro Kawatsu taking the silver and bronze.

[1] In 1948, Kiyokawa became a director of the Japan Swimming Federation, and a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1975 to 1989, serving as vice chairman from 1979 to 1983.

Kiyokawa was critical of the large amounts of money being spent by both parties to entertain and influence the votes of the IOC members.

He was also critical of the decision of the Japanese government to bow to political pressure from the United States to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.