Japan’s Tomoru Honda Out of Pan Pacs, Asian Games after Driving Charge
Japan’s Tomoru Honda will not participate in the Pan Pacific Championships and Asian Games after a charge of reckless driving.
The Japanese aquatic federation announced the news on Friday. It said that Honda, the silver medalist in the men’s 200 butterfly at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, was indicted on a charge of dangerous driving resulting in injury. It also noted in its statement that while Honda reported the charge to the federation, it was done at “a considerable period after the indictment occurred.”
The federation expressed its sympathies and apologizes to the victims of the accident, details of which were not released by the federation nor reported in Japan, citing victim privacy. It also apologized for the delay in reporting the matter. As a result of the charge and in consultation with Honda, the federation is withdrawing his participation from Pan Pacs and the Asian Games in September, held in the Japanese cities of Aichi and Nagoya.
Honda, 24, is a native of Yokohama. His biggest individual result is the 200 fly silver in Tokyo, the only men’s medal from the host country at the swimming competition of those Games. His time of 1:53.73 in the final was 2.5 seconds behind the Olympic record set by Kristof Milak, with Italian Federico Burdisso third. He failed to quality for the semifinals in the 200 fly at the Paris Olympics in 2024, with a time of 1:57.30 that landed 22nd in prelims.
Since Tokyo, Honda won gold at the 2024 World Championships after bronze each of the previous two years. He did not swim the event in 2025. Honda is the reigning Asian Games champion in both the 200 fly and 400 individual medley.