Kano devoted his all his energy as an IOC member to supporting the bid by Tokyo to host the 12th Olympic Games in 1940. Moves to bring the Olympics to Japan started in 1931 after the Tokyo Municipal Diet passed a resolution to seek the staging of the event. The specific role that Kano played in this was as follows.
Procession of IOC members at the 10th Olympic Games held in Los Angeles in 1932.
Banquet at the Ambassador Hotel for the 10th Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
At the time, Kano was in his mid-70s, but, he thought nothing of the long journeys by ship and continued to campaign vigorously for the Tokyo bid.
The level of dedication that Kano had for Tokyo's 1940 Olympic bid may be gathered from this statement of his:
"I carry a grave resolve. The Olympics should naturally come to Japan. If they don't, the reason for this must be something unjust. Since participation entails such a long distance from Japan to Europe, if we fail, there will be no need to take part, and Japan will be justified in staging an even larger international event."
Kano said these words during the IOC Session held at the end of July 1936 to determine the host city for 1940. It was a declaration that if Tokyo was not selected, it would mean the IOC was in error, and Tokyo would stage its own, separate international event. Kano went into the IOC Session with the firm conviction and confidence that the Olympics should be staged in Tokyo.
Commemorative photograph in front of the monument to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the restoration of the Olympics, following the end of the IOC Session at Olympia, Athens, on 23 June, 1934. From the left of the monument are IOC President Count de Baillet-Latour, Greek representative Mr. Bolanaki, Kano Jigoro, and the representative from the Netherlands.
