North Korea at Japan’s Asian Games: sports diplomacy or propaganda stunt?

North Korea’s decision to send a record delegation to the 2026 Asian Games in Japan could serve as a calculated opening for limited diplomacy with Washington and Tokyo, even as major obstacles to formal talks remain.

State media reported on Wednesday that a delegation led by Kim Il-guk, North Korea’s sports minister, had left for Japan to attend the Games. The 20th Asian Games are being held in Nagoya and surrounding Aichi prefecture and run from Saturday to October 4.

North Korea’s 180-strong delegation is made up of 107 athletes competing across 14 sports – including football, weightlifting, table tennis and wrestling – alongside support staff. It is the country’s largest sporting delegation ever to visit Japan, according to Kyodo News.

Tokyo generally bars North Korean nationals from entry under sanctions against Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes, making this a rare exception. Observers say North Korea is using the international stage to project stability and shed its image as a pariah state.