Japan at the 2014 Winter Olympics Japan at the 2014 Winter Olympics Japan competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia from 7 to 23 February 2014. Japan's team consisted of 136 athletes in all 15 sports. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the opening ceremony, wanting to show the Russians how important the relationship between the two countries is. According to the quota allocation released on January 27, 2014, Japan has achieved two quota spots in alpine skiing. No one of the several female skiers regularly competing in the World Cup managed to achieve qualification. Based on their performance at the 2012 and 2013
2014 Japanese general election re-appointed). The turnout in this election is the lowest in Japanese history. In 2012, the Democratic Party government under Yoshihiko Noda decided to implement a raise of the Japanese consumption tax. Following this move, the Liberal Democratic Party under Shinzo Abe regained control of the Japanese government in the December 2012 general election. Abe proceeded to implement a series of economic programs known as "Abenomics" in a bid to stimulate the economy. Despite these programs, Japan entered a technical recession in mid-2014, which Abe blamed on the consumption tax hike, even though many members of the LDP supported the hike.