Junichi Kawai, left, will lead the Japan team at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics ©Getty Images

Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC) President Junichi Kawai has been appointed as the country's Chef de Mission for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games.

The JPC confirmed Kawai, a 21-time Paralympic medallist, would lead the Japanese team at the Games.

Kawai performed the same role for Japan when Tokyo staged this year's Summer Paralympic Games.

He will be tasked with overseeing the Japanese delegation at Beijing 2022, set to open on March 4.

It is not yet clear how many athletes Japan expects to send to the event.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics are due to open on March 4 ©Getty Images
The Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics are due to open on March 4 ©Getty Images

Japan will be looking to add to the 90 medals it has won at the Winter Paralympics when its athletes compete at the Games in the Chinese capital.

The country's best overseas performance at the event came when its competitors returned home from Vancouver 2010 with 11 medals.

Their highest medal tally came on home soil at Nagano 1998, when Japanese athletes claimed 41 medals, including 12 golds.

Kawai, who competed at six consecutive Summer Paralympics, led Japan to an 11th place-finish at Tokyo 2020.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics are scheduled to conclude on March 13.