International Sign serves as the official language at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics to facilitate communication among deaf participants from various countries, yet it remains little known in Japan, leading to a shortage of interpreters. Ryoji Miura, a 37-year-old interpreter supporting the event, hopes the games will raise awareness and encourage more people to learn it.
The Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, currently underway, is an international sporting event for deaf athletes, bringing together participants from around the world. International Sign has been designated as the official language to aid communication among deaf individuals from diverse countries, but in Japan, it is not widely recognized, resulting in a critical shortage of interpreters.
Ryoji Miura, 37, an interpreter assisting at the event, expressed optimism about the potential impact. He highlighted the lack of familiarity with International Sign in Japan and believes the Deaflympics could change that. “I hope that people will discover the joy (of using International Sign) through the Tokyo event and that the number of learners will grow," Miura said.
The games not only promote athletic participation for the deaf community but also underscore the need for better language accessibility. In Japan, greater adoption of international sign languages may become increasingly important moving forward.