 He became president of the Japanese Olympic Committee in 1962 and was an important figure in organizing the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo.He was also a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1967 to 1981, during which he was director of its executive board for five years.In 1987, the former Prince published a volume of autobiographical essays entitled "Kumo no ue shita