Kanako Watanabe

Kanako Watanabe (渡部 香生子) is a Japanese competitive swimmer who specializes in the breaststroke. She competed in the 2012 London Olympics at the age of 15 for the 200m Women's Breaststroke event. She again competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Her swimming coach is Ryuji Omi. She is the daughter of Keiji and Emiko Watanabe.

Watanabe won the silver medal in the 200m medley at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia. She also won a gold medal in the 200 metres breaststroke, and she gave the gold medal to her coach, in a gesture of gratitude to him.

She has qualified to represent Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics.