Japan appears set to continue its policy of bidding for elite sporting events with an attempt to stage the 2026 Asian Games.

Aichi Prefecture, a southern region of the nation, is being lined up to hold the event, with its city Nagoya expected to stage most of the events if the bid is successful. According to Reuters, the region’s governor, Hideaki Omura, told reporters in Nagoya: “As it is a big event, we should clarify the situation first.”

If a bid by representatives of Aichi Prefecture is submitted, and subsequently chosen, it will be the third big sporting event in the next decade to be hosted by Japan. The 2019 Rugby World Cup will be held in locations nationwide, while the 2020 Olympic Games was awarded to Tokyo.

However, the latter has encountered difficulties since it was awarded the Games, particularly in terms of stadium plans. The 80,000-capacity National Stadium blueprint was only finalised before Christmas after an original proposal designed by Zaha Hadid was scrapped by Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe.

Japan has hosted the Asian Games in Tokyo (1958) and Hiroshima (1994). The next two editions of the multi-sports competition will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2018, and Hangzhou, China in 2022.

Aichi Prefecture will send its proposal to the Japanese Olympic Committee, which will decide whether it wants to bid before the Olympic Council of Asia makes a final decision on the host in 2018.