Courtesy of IMG Japan.

Wheelchair tennis star and four-time paralympic gold medalist Shingo Kunieda will be the Grand Marshal of the 3rd Annual Japan Parade in New York City, to be held on Saturday, May 11 at 1pm, it was announced today. The purpose of the parade is to celebrate and bring awareness to the friendship between NYC and Japan with a thank you from the Japanese community.

Widely considered by many as the best wheelchair tennis player in history, Shingo Kunieda is a seven-time International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Champion, the first wheelchair tennis player to secure a Grand Slam, and the first male wheelchair tennis player to achieve a “Career Grand Slam,” in which a player wins each of the four major championships over the course of their career. In 2006, Kunieda made history by becoming the first Asian to reach rank No. 1 in the world rankings and in April 2009, Kunieda became the first Japanese wheelchair tennis player to turn pro. Kunieda also holds four gold and two bronze medals over four Paralympic Games. Dominating the sport for 21 years, he retired from wheelchair tennis in 2023 at the age of 38.

In March 2023, Kunieda became the first Para athlete to receive the People’s Honor Award in Japan. Established in 1977, the award has been presented by Japanese Prime Ministers to people who brought a “light of hope” to society through accomplishments in different fields such as sports and culture. He has also achieved six Guinness Book of World Records titles.

“I am very honored to serve as Grand Marshal of the Japan Parade, and I’m delighted to be involved in this opportunity to promote Japanese culture,” said Shingo Kunieda. “I look forward to marching in the parade with all of you.”

This year’s Parade will also feature a live performance of the 2.5D Musical “Demon Slayer: The Stage.” “Demon Slayer” is one of the most internationally recognized and popular manga series of all time. The franchise has sold over 150 million copies worldwide. “Demon Slayer,” written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge, was first published in Shueisha’s magazine Weekly Shonen Jump in 2016, where it ran for five years and was serialized in 23 volumes. “Demon Slayer” was Netflix’s most-watched anime in 2023.

Sandra Endo, news correspondent on KTVV Los Angeles, Fox 11 News, and a feature reporter for Good Day LA, will serve as Emcee of the parade.

The very first Japan Parade and the Japan Street Fair was held in 2022. Actor, author, civil-rights activist, and influencer George Takei was the Grand Marshal for the inaugural parade, while Olympic Gold medalist and author Kristi Yamaguchi was the Grand Marshal for the Japan Parade in 2023.

Over the last two years, the parade’s participants have included the cast of “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon” The Super Live and “Live Spectacle ‘NARUTO’” as special guests from Japan, as well as children’s choirs, taiko performers, bon-odori dance and kimono groups, Karate and other martial arts groups, and many more.

More performers will be announced in the coming weeks. The Japan Parade is affiliated with Japan Day at Central Park, an annual event that has taken place in Central Park since 2007.

Activists protesting against attacks targeting Asian citizens and anti-Asian rhetoric have also marched in the parade.

MORE ABOUT SHINGO KUNIEDA

At the age of 9, Kunieda began living with a wheelchair due to a tumor in his spinal cord. He discovered wheelchair tennis at 11. While at first he was simply engrossed with playing sports alongside his able-bodied friends, this honed his skills, thus developing his ability and mastery in maneuvering with his wheelchair. In 2006, Kunieda made history by becoming the first Asian to reach rank No. 1 in the world rankings. The following year, in 2007, he achieved a monumental milestone by becoming the first wheelchair tennis player to secure a Grand Slam (*at this time consisting of the Australian Open, Japan Open, British Open, and the U.S. Open). In April 2009, Kunieda became the first Japanese wheelchair tennis player to turn pro, marking a new chapter in Japanese wheelchair tennis. Kunieda’s remarkable singles winning streak of 107 matches, lasting until November 2010, solidified his dominance in the sport. In 2021, he achieved his third Gold Medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, his first medal in two Paralympics. In 2022, he claimed his first, long-awaited Wimbledon championship, and in doing so became the first male wheelchair tennis player to achieve a “Career Grand Slam,” in which the player must win each of the four major championships over the course of their career. Kunieda’s Wimbledon championship win was also the final title he needed to achieve a “Career Golden Slam,” having won a major title in each of the four majors and having captured a Paralympic medal. With an unmatched tally of 11 Australian Open titles, 8 French Open titles, 1 Wimbledon title, and 8 U.S. Open titles, Kunieda accomplished an unprecedented feat of excellence. He retired in January 2023 while still holding the No. 1 spot in rankings. He received the People’s Honor Award in March.

MORE ABOUT SANDRA ENDO

Sandra Endo is a television news correspondent on KTTV Los Angeles, Fox 11 News. Endo covers breaking news in feature reports for a good Day LA. She moved back to her hometown of Los Angeles after spending most of her career on the East Coast. Before making the move to LA, she worked for CNN based in Washington DC. Her stories have appeared on prime time shows such as AC 360 with Anderson Cooper. She also reported on the devastating tsunami and earthquake that struck Japan in 2011, as well as the international conflicts in Egypt in the US involvement in Libya. Prior to joining CNN, Endo was a political reporter, host, and anchor for NY1, covering a wide array of campaigns, the transit strike of 2005, and reporting around the clock after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A California native, Sandra is a second-generation Japanese American whose grandfather was interned during WWII. She believes it is important to teach her two young children their cultural heritage to keep traditions alive and to learn from the past.

MORE ABOUT JAPAN DAY
Japan Day Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the primary organizer of the Japan Day @ Central Park festivals since 2007, and of Japan Parade and the Japan Street Fair since 2022. Japan Day Inc.’s activities are made possible by the support of the local leading Japanese American companies that compose Japan Day Inc.’s Board of Directors, the Consulate General of Japan in New York, and all the individuals, organizations, and companies that sponsor, donate, or volunteer and be a part of this great celebration.

Our interview with Kristi Yamaguchi.