Tokyo has played a landmark role in the history of the Paralympic Movement. The city first hosted the Paralympic Games in 1964, marking the first time the Games were staged outside Europe and firmly establishing the Paralympics as an international sporting event. The 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games helped elevate global awareness of sport for athletes with disabilities and strengthened the connection between the Olympic and Paralympic movements.

Ireland was proudly represented by Fr. Leo Close, Oliver Murphy, Jack Kerrigan, James Garrigan and Margaret Crowe.

More than half a century later, the Games returned to the Japanese capital with the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, held in 2021 after an unprecedented postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.