TOYOSHIMA Akira

Type of Impairment
Impaired range of motion (Athlete, 11 Aug 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (Athlete, 11 Aug 2016)

Impairment Details
Both lower limbs affected by functional failure after effects of meningitis at four months old. (Athlete, 11 Aug 2016; paraspoplus.com, 22 Apr 2019)

General
EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE
He experienced the March 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku when he was working as part of the accounting team at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. He was able to leave the plant three days after the earthquake by wearing a protective suit. Despite difficult situations dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake, he decided to focus on the sport with the aim of competing at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. He was inspired by Japanese footballer Aya Sameshima who was also his colleague at the Fukushima nuclear plant after seeing her be part of the Japanese team that won the 2011 World Cup in Germany. "Basketball remained in my heart, but I was hesitant to play. So many people lost their lives, so many people had to live in evacuation shelters. I doubted whether that was possible given my circumstances and the social situation [at that time]. [However], seeing my colleague play showed me a different way to live as an athlete. To play hard and give back what you received from your community, your hometown. It was a great revelation for me. It was 'hope'. In that moment of realisation, I left my doubts behind. I want more people to know my past and my journey to the Paralympics and to give them hope. The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are special because they are dubbed the 'Recovery Games'. It would be my pleasure and my greatest wish for my play to inspire people to have courage and hope for the future. That is why I want good results; I want to deliver that medal to my people." (tokyo2020.org, 09 Mar 2021; nikkansports.com, 03 Mar 2021)

LEADER
He was appointed a captain of the Japanese national team after the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "To be honest, when I first heard about the appointment, I doubted I could really do it. But, if the team needed me, I wanted to do it for the team. When we finished ninth at the 2016 Paralympics, I just thought we needed to do more to get better results in Tokyo." (tokyo2020.org, 09 Mar 2021)

OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE
He decided to play for an overseas club after the Japanese team finished ninth at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He moved to Germany and played for the Koln 99ers from 2016 until 2018. "I wanted to improve myself while comparing my level to foreign players." (corporate.wowow.co.jp, 04 Oct 2018; sports.yahoo.co.jp, 03 Jun 2019)