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Japan national badminton team

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Japan
AssociationBadminton Association of Japan
ConfederationBadminton Asia
PresidentMitsuru Murai
BWF ranking
Current ranking4 (6 January 2026)
Highest ranking1 (4 October 2018)
Sudirman Cup
Appearances17 (first in 1989)
Best resultRunners-up (2015, 2019, 2021)
Thomas Cup
Appearances18 (first in 1964)
Best result Champions (2014)
Uber Cup
Appearances28 (first in 1966)
Best result Champions (1966, 1969, 1972, 1978, 1981, 2018)
Asian Mixed Team Championships
Appearances4 (first in 2017)
Best result Champions (2017)
Asian Men's Team Championships
Appearances10 (first in 1965)
Best result Champions (2026)
Asian Women's Team Championships
Appearances4 (first in 2016)
Best result Champions (2018, 2020)

The Japan national badminton team (Japanese: 日本代表バドミントンチーム) represents Japan in international badminton competitions. The Japanese women's team have won the Uber Cup 6 times, with their most recent being the 2018 Uber Cup. The men's team won their first Thomas Cup title in 2014. The mixed team were runners-up three times at the Sudirman Cup.

The Japanese badminton team has been prestigious in the Olympics, having won a gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics and a silver and 2 bronze medals.

Summer Olympic Games

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Japan made its Olympic badminton debut when the sport became a full medal event at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The nation won its first-ever Olympic badminton medal at the 2012 London Olympics, where Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa secured a silver in women's doubles. Japan's first gold medal came at the 2016 Rio Olympics from Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi in women's doubles; at the same Games, Nozomi Okuhara claimed a bronze in women's singles, Japan's first medal in that discipline. Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino won the nation's first mixed doubles medal with a bronze in 2020 Tokyo Olympic and followed it with another bronze in 2024 Paris Olympic, becoming the first Japanese badminton players to win medals in consecutive Olympics.[1]

Medals table

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As of the 2024 Olympics[2]
Badminton at Summer Olympics all time medal table-Japan Japan
Events 1st place, gold medalist(s) Gold 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze Total
MS Men's singles 0000
WS Women's singles 0011
MD Men's doubles 0000
WD Women's doubles 1113
XD Mixed doubles 0022
Total 1 1 4 6

List of medalists

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Year Location Player Category Medal
2012 London, England Mizuki Fujii
Reika Kakiiwa		 Women's doubles 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver
2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Misaki Matsutomo
Ayaka Takahashi		 Women's doubles 1st place, gold medalist(s) Gold
Nozomi Okuhara Women's singles 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze
2020 Tokyo, Japan Yuta Watanabe
Arisa Higashino		 Mixed doubles 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze
2024 Paris, France
Nami Matsuyama
Chiharu Shida		 Women's doubles 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze

World Badminton Championships

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Japan has competed in the BWF World Championships since the inaugural tournament in 1977, where Etsuko Toganoo and Emiko Ueno won the nation's first gold medal in women's doubles.[3][4] After winning medals in 1980, the team did not secure another podium finish until 2003. The country's first medal in a men's event occurred in 2007, with a bronze in men's doubles.

Starting in 2017, the team secured several historical firsts. Nozomi Okuhara became Japan's first women's singles world champion that year.[5][6] Kento Momota followed as the first Japanese men's singles champion, winning consecutive titles in 2018 and 2019. In women's doubles, Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara also claimed back-to-back gold medals during those years.[7] In 2021, Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi became the nation's first world champions in men's doubles.[8] With three women's singles titles, Akane Yamaguchi is Japan's most successful player across any discipline at the world championships.[9][10] Mixed doubles remains the only discipline in which Japan has not yet won a title.

Medals table

[edit]
As of 2026 BWF World Championships
World Badminton Championships all time medal table-Japan Japan
Events Gold Gold Silver Silver Bronze Bronze Total
MS Men's singles 2214
WS Women's singles 4249
MD Men's doubles 1236
WD Women's doubles 331218
XD Mixed doubles 0235
Total 10 11 23 44

List of medalists

[edit]
Year Player Category Medal
1977 Etsuko Toganoo
Emiko Ueno		 Women's doubles Gold Gold
Hiroe Yuki Women's singles Bronze Bronze
1980 Yoshiko Yonekura
Atsuko Tokuda		 Women's doubles Bronze Bronze
2003 Shizuka Yamamoto
Seiko Yamada		 Women's doubles Bronze Bronze
2007 Shuichi Sakamoto
Shintaro Ikeda		 Men's doubles Bronze Bronze
Kumiko Ogura
Reiko Shiota		 Women's doubles Bronze Bronze
2011 Miyuki Maeda
Satoko Suetsuna		 Women's doubles Bronze Bronze
2014 Minatsu Mitani Women's singles Bronze Bronze
Reika Kakiiwa
Miyuki Maeda		 Women's doubles Bronze Bronze
2015 Kento Momota Men's singles Bronze Bronze
Hiroyuki Endo
Kenichi Hayakawa		 Men's doubles Bronze Bronze
Naoko Fukuman
Kurumi Yonao		 Women's doubles Bronze Bronze
2017 Nozomi Okuhara Women's singles Gold Gold
Yuki Fukushima
Sayaka Hirota		 Women's doubles Silver Silver
Takeshi Kamura
Keigo Sonoda		 Men's doubles Bronze Bronze
Misaki Matsutomo
Ayaka Takahashi		 Women's doubles Bronze Bronze
2018 Kento Momota Men's singles Gold Gold
Mayu Matsumoto
Wakana Nagahara		 Women's doubles Gold Gold
Takeshi Kamura
Keigo Sonoda		 Men's doubles Silver Silver
Yuki Fukushima
Sayaka Hirota		 Women's doubles Silver Silver
Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles Bronze Bronze
Shiho Tanaka
Koharu Yonemoto		 Women's doubles Bronze Bronze
Year Player Category Medal
2019 Kento Momota Men's singles Gold Gold
Mayu Matsumoto
Wakana Nagahara		 Women's doubles Gold Gold
Nozomi Okuhara Women's singles Silver Silver
Takuro Hoki
Yugo Kobayashi		 Men's doubles Silver Silver
Yuki Fukushima
Sayaka Hirota		 Women's doubles Silver Silver
Yuta Watanabe
Arisa Higashino		 Mixed doubles Bronze Bronze
2021 Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles Gold Gold
Takuro Hoki
Yugo Kobayashi		 Men's doubles Gold Gold
Yuta Watanabe
Arisa Higashino		 Mixed doubles Silver Silver
Mayu Matsumoto
Wakana Nagahara		 Women's doubles Bronze Bronze
Kyohei Yamashita
Naru Shinoya		 Mixed doubles Bronze Bronze
2022 Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles Gold Gold
Yuta Watanabe
Arisa Higashino		 Mixed doubles Silver Silver
Mayu Matsumoto
Wakana Nagahara		 Women's doubles Bronze Bronze
2023 Kodai Naraoka Men's singles Silver Silver
Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles Bronze Bronze
Yuta Watanabe
Arisa Higashino		 Mixed doubles Bronze Bronze
2025 Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles Gold Gold
Rin Iwanaga
Kie Nakanishi		 Women's doubles Bronze Bronze
Nami Matsuyama
Chiharu Shida		 Women's doubles Bronze Bronze
2026 Kodai Naraoka Men's singles Silver Silver
Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles Silver Silver

Most successful players

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A list of Japanese players who have won at least two gold medals at the BWF World Championships.

Player Category Total Year
Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles 3 2021, 2022, 2025
Kento Momota Men's singles 2 2018, 2019
Mayu Matsumoto Women's doubles 2 2018, 2019 (with Wakana Nagahara)
Wakana Nagahara Women's doubles 2 2018, 2019 (with Mayu Matsumoto)

Participation in BWF competitions

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**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Participation in Badminton Asia Team Championships

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The Japanese women's team has achieved significant success in the Asia Team Championships, winning consecutive titles in 2018 and 2020 after finishing as runners-up in the inaugural 2016 edition. The men's team reached a historic milestone in 2026 by winning their first-ever title, surpassing their previous best finish of runners-up in 2016.[22] In the mixed team event, Japan won the inaugural tournament in 2017 and finished as runners-up in 2019.[23][24]

Junior competitive record

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World Junior Championships (Individual)

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Japan began achieving podium finishes at the World Junior Championships in 2007, when Kenichi Tago won the team's first medal (silver) in boys' singles. The nation secured its first gold medals in 2012 through Kento Momota in boys' singles and Nozomi Okuhara in girls' singles.[27] Akane Yamaguchi successfully defended the girls' singles title in 2013 and 2014.[28][29] As of 2025, Japanese players have won a total of 10 gold medals across four disciplines, with mixed doubles being the only category in which the team has not yet claimed a title.

Medals table

[edit]
As of 2025 BWF World Junior Championships
World Junior Championships all time medal table-Japan Japan
Events Gold Gold Silver Silver Bronze Bronze Total
BS Boys' singles 1247
GS Girls' singles 54817
BD Boys' doubles 1247
GD Girls' doubles 3069
XD Mixed doubles 0033
Total 10 8 25 43

List of medalists

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The following table lists the medalists in individual disciplines at the World Junior Championships:

Suhandinata Cup

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Year Round Pos
2000 Group stage 7th of 24
2002 Did not enter
2004 Group stage 14th of 20
2006 Group stage 5th of 28
2007 Group stage 5th of 25
2008 Group stage 6th of 21
2009 Group stage 6th of 21
2010 Group stage 5th of 24
2011 Group stage 5th of 22
2012 Runners-up 2nd of 30
2013 Fourth place 4th of 30
2014 Semi-finals 3rd of 33
2015 Fourth place 4th of 39
2016 Semi-finals 3rd of 52
2017 Semi-finals 3rd of 44
2018 Semi-finals 3rd of 39
2019 Semi-finals 3rd of 43
2020 Cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic
2021
2022 Semi-finals 3rd of 37
2023 Quarter-finals 5th of 38
2024 Semi-finals 3rd of 39
2025 Semi-finals 3rd of 36
2026 Qualified

Asian Junior Team Championships

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Team structure and selection

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The composition of the Japan national team is determined by the Badminton Association of Japan (BAJ). The national squad is divided into three primary categories:

Squad divisions

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  1. National Team: The primary squad of approximately 32 players, with a maximum of 4 players in singles disciplines and 4 pairs in each doubles discipline.[31]
  2. U-24 National Team: A developmental squad for players under 24 years of age, mirroring the main National Team structure with approximately 32 players.[31]
  3. Junior National Team: Further divided into U-19, U-17, U-15, and U-13 squads to nurture younger talent.[31]

Selection criteria

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To be eligible for the National Team, athletes must hold Japanese nationality.[31] Selection is generally based on meeting one of the following criteria:

  1. Domestic Performance: Winners of the All Japan Championships in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
  2. Japan Ranking: Players ranked first in the Japan Ranking released after the All Japan Championships.
  3. International Achievements: Olympics medalists or World Championships gold medalists during the fiscal year.
  4. World Ranking: The highest-ranked Japanese player or pair within the top 8 of the BWF World Ranking following the All Japan Championships.
  5. Association Recommendation: Players selected based on comprehensive evaluation of performance and future potential.

Selection for the U-24 National Team is primarily based on recommendations by the coaching staff, prioritizing players with high future potential who meet the age requirements.[31]

Players

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Current squad

[edit]
As of 11 August 2026 [32][33]

Men's team

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Name DoB/Age Ranking of event
MS MD XD
Kodai Naraoka 30 June 2001 (age 25) 11 - -
Koki Watanabe 29 January 1999 (age 27) 18 - -
Yushi Tanaka 5 October 1999 (age 27) 19 - -
Kenta Nishimoto 30 August 1994 (age 32) 24 - -
Takuro Hoki 14 August 1995 (age 31) - 8 -
Yugo Kobayashi 10 July 1995 (age 31) - 8 -
Kakeru Kumagai 5 January 2002 (age 24) - 21 -
Hiroki Nishi 21 March 2003 (age 23) - 21 -
Takumi Nomura 7 August 1997 (age 29) - 30 -
Yuichi Shimogami 5 March 1998 (age 28) - 30 16
Hiroki Okamura 6 December 1998 (age 27) - 47 -
Kyohei Yamashita 12 October 1998 (age 27) - 47 -
Akira Koga 8 March 1994 (age 32) - - 22
Hiroki Midorikawa 17 May 2000 (age 26) - - 90

Women's team

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Name DoB/Age Ranking of event
WS WD XD
Akane Yamaguchi 6 June 1997 (age 29) 2 - -
Tomoka Miyazaki 17 August 2006 (age 20) 8 - -
Riko Gunji 31 July 2002 (age 24) 22 - -
Manami Suizu 8 October 2003 (age 23) 63 - -
Yuki Fukushima 6 May 1993 (age 33) - 2 -
Mayu Matsumoto 7 August 1995 (age 31) - 2 -
Rin Iwanaga 21 May 1999 (age 27) - 7 -
Kie Nakanishi 24 December 1995 (age 30) - 7 -
Rui Hirokami 26 July 2002 (age 24) - 14 -
Sayaka Hobara 30 July 1998 (age 28) - 14 16
Natsu Saito 9 June 2000 (age 26) - - 22
Nami Matsuyama 28 June 1998 (age 28) - - 90

U-24 team

[edit]
Name DoB/Age Ranking of event
MS WS MD WD
Yudai Okimoto 28 May 2005 (age 21) 23 - - -
Riki Takei 21 July 2003 (age 23) 63 - - -
Hyuga Takano 9 August 2007 (age 19) 201 - - -
Rei Miyashita 2 February 2004 (age 22) 277 - - -
Hina Akechi 14 March 2005 (age 21) - 24 - -
Nayu Shirakawa 2 November 2007 (age 18) - 334 - -
Yuzuno Watanabe 9 January 2010 (age 16) - 510 - -
Haruki Kawabe 10 March 2005 (age 21) - - 45 -
Kenta Matsukawa 19 June 2006 (age 20) - - 45 -
Shuntaro Mezaki 27 June 2002 (age 24) - - 83 -
Yuta Oku 3 February 2004 (age 22) - - 83 -
Kazuya Minamoto 30 November 2004 (age 21) - - 359 -
Osuke Sakurai 2 December 2004 (age 21) - - 359 -
Sumire Nakade 28 February 2004 (age 22) - - - 41
Miyu Takahashi 15 May 2002 (age 24) - - - 41
Nanako Hara 31 March 2006 (age 20) - - - 47
Riko Kiyose 16 July 2005 (age 21) - - - 47
Mikoto Aiso 10 January 2007 (age 19) - - - 167
Momoha Niimi 21 March 2005 (age 21) - - - 167
Nijika Kamata 26 July 2009 (age 17) - - - 393
Maya Taguchi 9 October 2005 (age 20) - - - 393

Coaching staff

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As of 29 January 2026 [32]
Role Name
Head coach Japan Hitoshi Ōhori
Men's single Japan Shō Sasaki
Japan Kazumasa Sakai
Women's single Japan Takako Ida
Japan Shōji Satō
Men's doubles Malaysia Lee Wan Wah
Japan Hiroyuki Endo
Women's doubles Japan Kei Nakashima
Japan Mizuki Fujii
Mixed doubles Japan Norio Imai
Japan Noriyasu Hirata

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Olympics: Japan's Watanabe, Higashino win badminton mixed doubles bronze". Kyodo News. 30 July 2021. Archived from the original on 28 August 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  2. ↑ "Olympic Analytics - Medals by Countries". olympanalyt.com. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  3. ↑ Scheele, H. A. E. (August 1977). "Badminton's First World Championships: Danish Players Win Three Titles at Historic Malmo Tournament" (PDF). World Badminton. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 January 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "History of the Worlds & Countdown to Copenhagen – Li-Ning BWF World Championships 2014". Badminton World Federation. 15 August 2014. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  5. ↑ Sukumar, Dev (28 August 2017). "Okuhara Prevails in Epic – Singles Finals: TOTAL BWF World Championships 2017". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  6. ↑ "Japan's Nozomi creates history at World Championships". Badminton Asia. 27 August 2017. Archived from the original on 21 April 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "Momota, Nagahara, Matsumoto become Japan's 1st repeat badminton world champs". Kyodo News. 26 August 2019. Archived from the original on 8 August 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  8. ↑ Sukumar, Dev (19 December 2021). "Breakthrough Titles for Thailand, Japan". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 30 August 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  9. ↑ de Villiers, Ockert (31 August 2025). "BWF World Championships 2025: Yamaguchi Akane overcomes gutsy Chen Yufei for women's singles title". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 31 August 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  10. ↑ "Akane Yamaguchi: "Hard work doesn't always pay off" - 28-year-old's confidence as Japan's first badminton player to become world champion for the third time". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 1 September 2025. Archived from the original on 1 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  11. ↑ Sukumar, Dev (20 May 2016). "Korea Shock China; Japan Out – Quarter-finals Session 2: TOTAL BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2016". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 11 February 2025. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "Bleu Brilliance: France Make History". Badminton World Federation. 2 May 2026. Archived from the original on 3 May 2026. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  13. ↑ BWF: Uber Cup Archived 2008-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ "Japan Upsets U.S. for Uber Cup Title". The New York Times. Associated Press. 22 May 1966. p. 227. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  15. ↑ Yoon, Chul (13 May 2010). "Korea reaches Uber Cup final past Japan". The Korea Times. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  16. ↑ "China defend Uber Cup title after Thomas Cup heartbreak". Daily FT. Reuters. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "China, Korea to Face Off in Final". Badminton World Federation. 2 May 2026. Archived from the original on 3 May 2026. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  18. ↑ BWF: Sudirman Cup Archived 2008-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ Alleyne, Gayle (28 May 2017). "Steely Survival – Day 7 (Session 2): TOTAL BWF Sudirman Cup 2017". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "China beats Japan 3-0 to win record 11th Sudirman Cup". China Daily. 26 May 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  21. ↑ Sukumar, Dev (4 October 2021). "China Ace Final Test". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Badminton Asia Team: Maiden Title for Korea, Japan". Badminton World Federation. 8 February 2026. Archived from the original on 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  23. 1 2 "Japan thrash Korea 3-0 to win first Robot Badminton Asia Mixed Team title". Badminton Asia. 20 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  24. ↑ "Japan win badminton Asia mixed team championships". Việt Nam News. 20 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  25. ↑ "China crush champs India for place in final four Women's Division Badminton Asia Team Championships 2026". Badminton Asia. 6 February 2026. Archived from the original on 6 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  26. ↑ Pavitt, Michael (24 March 2019). "China crowned Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships winners after beating holders Japan". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  27. ↑ Alleyne, Gayle (4 November 2012). "Japan Holds Court at Home With Singles Success". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 31 December 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  28. ↑ Thongsombat, Kittipong (4 November 2013). "Kwang and Yamaguchi claim junior world championships". Bangkok Post. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  29. ↑ Sukumar, Dev (18 April 2014). "BWF World Junior Championships 2014 – Day 6: Chen Stars for China". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  30. 1 2 "1998 Asian Junior Badminton Championships | Reports". Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese). 22 June 1998. Archived from the original on 28 March 2003. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 "2026年日本代表選手選考基準 (2026 Japan Representative Player Selection Criteria)" (PDF) (in Japanese). Nippon Badminton Association. 2024-11-21.
  32. 1 2 "Announcement of the 2026 Japan Badminton National Team Players and Staff" (PDF) (in Japanese). Badminton Association of Japan. 29 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  33. ↑ "Announcement of Additional Selections for the 2026 Japan Badminton National Team". Badminton Association of Japan (in Japanese). 11 June 2026. Archived from the original on 11 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
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