Japan looks to mine more gold

Japan aims to finish second behind China in the gold medal standings at this month's Asian Games, regaining the runner-up spot from South Korea, a Japanese Olympic Committee executive said on Wednesday.

"We want to win 50 to 60 golds to either surpass ot tie with South Korea and close on China as much as possible," said Noriyuki Ichihara, Japan's delegation chief to the multi-sport festival in Guangzhou from Nov 12-27.

Ichihara, the JOC secretary general, was speaking at a press conference in Guangzhou on Wednesday.

Japan's gold-medal hunt is spearheaded by two-time double Olympic breaststroke champion Kosuke Kitajima, 10-time Olympic and world women's wrestling gold medalist Saori Yoshida and seven world judo champions.

While Ichihara called for "more medals than the last meet", his deputy, Haruki Uemura, has set another goal.

Calling Guangzhou a "simulation" for the 2012 London Olympics, he said: "China may be far ahead, but we want to surpass South Korea."

At the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, China won 165 gold medals against 58 for South Korea and 50 for Japan, who picked up 16 in swimming and five in athletics.

After long reign at the Asian Games, Japan was caught by China in 1982 and then overtaken by South Korea in 1986.

The pecking order remains the same at the Olympics. At Beijing 2008, host China topped the gold medal table for the first time by winning 51 while South Korea finished seventh with 13 titles, one place above Japan with nine.

Japan plans to send 726 athletes, including 407 men, to Guangzhou in its biggest ever Asian Games squad, competing in all 42 sports.

The country's entire Asiad delegation will be 1,078 strong, including athletes, coaches and officials, also the biggest ever.

Japanese judokas are looking for redemption after they ended up with four titles against five for China in Doha, failing to top the Asiad gold medal table for the first time in 16 years.

After record-low performances for men in Beijing and at last year's World Championships, Japan won an unprecedented 10 gold medals at the worlds in Tokyo in September. The men grabbed four.

In swimming, Kitajima is aiming for a third straight Asiad double in the 100m and 200m breaststroke. His teammates include world men's 100m backstroke champion Junya Koga and men's 200m backstroke silver medalist Ryosuke Irie.

In athletics, the country is targeting eight golds, three more than it won at Doha.

Naoki Tsukahara, who reached the men's 100m semifinals at the Beijing Olympics, hopes to go one up on his silver medal from Doha while Kenji Narisako is set to retain his 400m hurdles title.

Chisato Fukushima, who won the 2009 Asian women's 100m title, and 200m champion Momoko Takahasho combine to guide Japan in the 4x100m relay.

But a chronic back injury sidelines Athens Olympic hammer throw gold medalist Koji Murofushi for a second straight time.

Ace pitcher Yukiko Ueno, who powered Japan to the Beijing Olympic softball gold, chases a third straight Asiad pennant.