Defending Olympic champions from Athens lead Japan's bid to beat the odds at the Beijing Games, four years after revelling in a record medal haul.

Japanese athletes seen unlikely to match their tally of 37 medals, including 16 golds, which left them fifth behind the United States, China, Russia and Australia on the podium in 2004.

Now their mission is to minimise their downfall and save their national pride as they battle with South Korea for number-two spot in Asia behind hosts China.

"We are targetting gold medals in two digits and a total of more than 30 medals. That is the bottom line," said Tomiaki Fukuda, head of Japan's delegation to Beijing.

"It may be difficult to hit these marks but we still aim high."

Japan is pinning its hopes on Athens veterans including judo stars, double swimmimg champion Kosuke Kitajima, hammer throw gold medalist Koji Murofushi, women's marathon laureate Mizuki Noguchi and world-beating women wrestlers.

But a startling analysis of Japan's performances at world-class events last year has indicated that it will win just five titles in Beijing.

"We will see how many we can add," said Fukuda, who insisted that at least 10 golds would be necessary to boost Tokyo's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Powered by a new wave of women and a resurgence in judo, swimming, wrestling and gymnastics, Japan's gold-medal count soared in Athens after staying in a single digit for four Games.

The 2004 medal total topped the previous mark of 32 collected at the boycott-marred 1984 Los Angeles Games. The number of golds equalled the record 16 won at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

"If we win two golds on the first day of judo, the momentum will spread to swimming and athletics," said Haruki Uemura, general manager of Japan's delegation.

Judo starts a day after the August 8 opening ceremony with seven-time world women's under-48kg champion Ryoko Tani going for a third straight Olympic gold.

The judo squad includes seven newcomers and seven Athens veterans, six of them defending champions.

Japan won a record eight judo gold medals in Athens but struggled to grab just three each at the 2005 and 2007 world championships.

Noguchi is aiming for a record second straight title in the women's marathon with world bronze winner Reiko Tosa as a teammate. Japan's Naoko Takahashi triumphed in Sydney in 2000.

But Murofushi remains in doubt as the hammer thrower finished only sixth at the 2007 world championships.

In the pool, Kitajima plans to stop any charge by American arch-rival Brendan Hansen who has always beaten him head-to-head since 2005 in the breaststroke 100m and 200m.

Kitajima has the advantage, clipping Hansen's two-year-old 200m world record by 0.99 seconds at a domestic meet in June, wearing Speedo's blockbuster LZR Racer suit for the first time.

Both Kitajima and Hansen are expected to wear the record-breaking bodysuit, despite their contracts to endorse Speedo's rival makers.

Four women wrestlers, who have 17 world championship gold medals among them, are ready to rumble again after winning two out of four golds on offer in Athens when the sport made its Olympic debut.

Male gymnasts hope to retain the team title, which they won for the first time in 28 years, against the formidable Chinese in Greece.

Japan want to keep their number-two spot in the region against South Korea who finished ninth overall in Athens with nine golds.

AFP

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