Former SMAP member Shingo Katori donates NFT proceeds to support para-sports

Shingo Katori, actor and former member of the popular boy band SMAP, has donated 39 million Japanese yen (approximately US$285,746) he earlier collected through NFT sales to para-sport organisations.

The charity project raised the fund in September 2021 when a total of 10,000 limited-edition NFT artworks were sold out in just one day. The project was launched by Katori in 2015 under the theme “i enjoy!.”

The proceeds will be used to promote para-sports in Japan and abroad, with approximately 14 million yen going to the International Paralympic Committee through the Nippon Foundation Parasports Support Center. 

The remaining 25 million yen will go to the official sports organisations that applied to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games.

At a ceremony held on August 23 to present the donation, Katori said he was grateful to the donors in the project.

“One year has passed since the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in 2021. The Tokyo Paralympics gave me a lot of smiles and excitement. I believe that the Tokyo Paralympics are not the end, but the beginning. The mural I painted led 10,000 people to support para-sports in the form of donations. I am very grateful,” Katori said.

“The Paris 2024 Games are coming up in two years’ time. The Paralympics and para-sports have given me new feelings, emotions and smiles. I hope that as many people as possible will continue to support and enjoy para-sports with me in the future,” he said.