Japan women's national volleyball team

Japan

Nickname(s)	Nippon (火の鳥NIPPON)[1]
Association	Japan Volleyball Association[2]
Head coach	Masayoshi Manabe
FIVB ranking	8 (as of 31 July 2023)
Uniforms
Home Away Third
Summer Olympics
Appearances	13 (First in 1964)
Best result	(1964, 1976)
World Championship
Appearances	16 (First in 1960)
Best result	(1962, 1967, 1974)
www.jva.or.jp/en/senior_women/ (in English)
Honours Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 2 2 World Grand Prix 0 1 0 World Championship 3 3 1 World Cup 1 2 1 World Grand Champions Cup 0 0 3 Asian Games 5 4 4 Asian Championship 5 7 7 Asian Cup 1 1 0 Montreux Volley Masters 1 2 2 Universiade 2 5 4 Total 20 27 24 Olympic Games 1964 Tokyo Team 1976 Montreal Team 1968 Mexico City Team 1972 Munich Team 1984 Los Angeles Team 2012 London Team World Championship 1962 Soviet Union 1967 Japan 1974 Mexico 1960 Brazil 1970 Bulgaria 1978 Soviet Union 2010 Japan World Cup 1977 Japan 1973 Japan 1981 Japan 2023 Japan World Grand Champions Cup 2001 Japan 2013 Japan World Grand Prix 2014 Japan Asian Games 1962 Jakarta Team 1966 Bangkok Team 1970 Bangkok Team 1974 Tehran Team 1978 Bangkok Team 1982 New Delhi Team 1986 Seoul Team 2006 Doha Team 2022 Hangzhou Team 1990 Beijing Team 1994 Hiroshima Team 1998 Bangkok Team 2002 Busan Team Asian Championship 1975 Melbourne 1983 Fukuoka 2007 Suphanburi 2017 Manila 2019 Seoul 1979 Hong Kong 1987 Shanghai 1991 Bangkok 1993 Shanghai 2003 Ho Chi Minh City 2011 Taipei 2013 Nakhon Ratchasima 1989 Hong Kong 1995 Chiang Mai 1997 Manila 1999 Hong Kong 2005 Taicang 2009 Hanoi 2023 Nakhon Ratchasima Asian Cup 2022 Pasig 2018 Nakhon Ratchasima Montreux Volley Masters 2011 Switzerland 2019 Switzerland 2015 Switzerland 2001 Switzerland 1989 Switzerland Universiade 1967 Tokyo 1985 Kobe 2021 Sichuan 2017 Taipei 1995 Fukuoka 1995 Mexico City 1970 Tulin 2019 Naples 2015 Gwangju 1997 Sicily 1983 Edmonton

The Japan women's national volleyball team (Hinotori Nippon, 火の鳥NIPPON), or All-Japan women's volleyball team, is currently ranked 6th^[4] in the world by FIVB. The head coach is Masayoshi Manabe.

One of their greatest successes was at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, when they defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union on the way to the gold medal.

Japan was qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics by winning the Women's Olympic Qualifier that was held from 8 May to 16 May in Tokyo, Japan. In Athens, Greece the team took fifth place in the overall-rankings.

Finally after almost three decades of medal drought in the Olympics, Japan took home the bronze medal by defeating South Korea in the 2012 Summer Olympics.^[6]

Medals

History

2012 London Olympics

Japan qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics as the best Asian team in the 2012 FIVB Women's World Olympic Qualification Tournament. In the 2012 Olympics, Japan had been placed on Group A with Russian Federation, Italy, Dominican Republic, the host Great Britain and Algeria. Japan finished third in the Group. In the quarter-finals, Japan faced their old Asian rival China. Saori Kimura and Yukiko Ebata each scored 33 points in this thrilling game in which China were beaten by 3–2.^[7] It was their first win over China in 11 years as far as FIVB games are concerned. On 9 August 2012, the Japanese were outplayed by the defending champions Brazil in the semi-finals.^[8] On 11 August 2012, Japan beat South Korea 3–0 in the bronze medal match. It is the first Olympics' volleyball medal for the Japanese since the 1984 Summer Olympics.^[9] On August 13, 2012, Japan Women's Team was ranked 3rd in the world behind United States women's national volleyball team and Brazil women's national volleyball team.

2020 Tokyo Olympics

Japan was the host nation for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The other teams in their group in Tokyo were Kenya, Serbia, Brazil, Korea and the Dominican Republic.^[10] Japan's opening match was on 25 July 2021 in Tokyo against Kenya.^[11] They beat Kenya in their first match in straight sets ^[12] and lost against Serbia, Brazil, Korea and the Dominican Republic which caused them to miss the qualification for the quarterfinals.^[13]

Winner of 6 major world titles

Year	Games	Host	Runner-up	2nd Runner-up
1962 #	4th World Championship	USSR	USSR	Poland
1964 #	Tokyo Olympic Games	Japan	USSR	Poland
1967 #	5th World Championship	Japan	USA	South Korea
1974 &	7th World Championship	Mexico	USSR	South Korea
1976 &	Montreal Olympic Games	Canada	USSR	South Korea
1977 &	2nd World Cup	Japan	Cuba	South Korea

#, & – Twice 3 Straight Major titles in 1960s and 1970s

(World Women's Volleyball Championship, World Cup, Olympic Games)

Results

International

Olympic Games

• 1964 – Gold Medal
• 1968 – Silver Medal
• 1972 – Silver Medal
• 1976 – Gold Medal
• 1984 – Bronze Medal
• 1988 – 4th place
• 1992 – 5th place
• 1996 – 9th place
• 2004 – 8th place
• 2008 – 7th place
• 2012 – Bronze Medal
• 2016 – 8th place
• 2020 – 10th place

World Championship

• 1960 – Silver Medal
• 1962 – Gold Medal
• 1967 – Gold Medal
• 1970 – Silver Medal
• 1974 – Gold Medal
• 1978 – Silver Medal
• 1982 – 4th place
• 1986 – 7th place
• 1990 – 8th place
• 1994 – 7th place
• 1998 – 8th place
• 2002 – 13th place
• 2006 – 6th place
• 2010 – Bronze Medal
• 2014 – 7th place
• 2018 – 6th place
• 2022 – 5th place

World Cup

• 1973 – Silver Medal
• 1977 – Gold Medal
• 1981 – Silver Medal
• 1985 – 4th place
• 1989 – 4th place
• 1991 – 7th place
• 1995 – 6th place
• 1999 – 6th place
• 2003 – 5th place
• 2007 – 7th place
• 2011 – 4th place
• 2015 – 5th place
• 2019 – 5th place
• 2023 – 3rd place

World Grand Champions Cup

• 1993 – 4th place
• 1997 – 5th place
• 2001 – Bronze Medal
• 2005 – 5th place
• 2009 – 4th place
• 2013 – Bronze Medal
• 2017 – 5th place

FIVB World Grand Prix

• 1993 – 6th place
• 1994 – 4th place
• 1995 – 7th place
• 1996 – 8th place
• 1997 – 4th place
• 1998 – 7th place
• 1999 – 7th place
• 2000 – 8th place
• 2001 – 6th place
• 2002 – 5th place
• 2003 – 9th place
• 2004 – 9th place
• 2005 – 5th place
• 2006 – 6th place
• 2007 – 9th place
• 2008 – 6th place
• 2009 – 6th place
• 2010 – 5th place
• 2011 – 5th place
• 2012 – 9th place
• 2013 – 4th place
• 2014 – Silver Medal
• 2015 – 6th place
• 2016 – 9th place
• 2017 – 7th place

FIVB Nations League

• 2018 – 10th place
• 2019 – 9th place
• 2021 – 4th place
• 2022 – 7th place
• 2023 – 7th place

Montreux Volley Masters

• 1989 – Bronze Medal
• 2001 – Bronze Medal
• 2005 – 4th place
• 2009 – 7th place
• 2010 – 7th place
• 2011 – Gold Medal
• 2013 – 5th place
• 2014 – 6th place
• 2015 – Silver Medal
• 2019 – Silver Medal

Continental

Asian Games

• 1962 – Gold Medal
• 1966 – Gold Medal
• 1970 – Gold Medal
• 1974 – Gold Medal
• 1978 – Gold Medal
• 1982 – Silver Medal
• 1986 – Silver Medal
• 1990 – Bronze Medal
• 1994 – Bronze Medal
• 1998 – Bronze Medal
• 2002 – Bronze Medal
• 2006 – Silver Medal
• 2010 – 6th place
• 2014 – 4th place
• 2018 – 4th place
• 2022 – Silver Medal

Asian Championship

• 1975 – Gold Medal
• 1979 – Silver Medal
• 1983 – Gold Medal
• 1987 – Silver Medal
• 1989 – Bronze Medal
• 1991 – Silver Medal
• 1993 – Silver Medal
• 1995 – Bronze Medal
• 1997 – Bronze Medal
• 1999 – Bronze Medal
• 2001 – 4th place
• 2003 – Silver Medal
• 2005 – Bronze Medal
• 2007 – Gold Medal
• 2009 – Bronze Medal
• 2011 – Silver Medal
• 2013 – Silver Medal
• 2015 – 6th place
• 2017 – Gold Medal
• 2019 – Gold Medal
• 2021 – Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
• 2023 – Bronze Medal

Asian Cup

• 2008 — 4th place
• 2010 — 4th place
• 2012 — 5th place
• 2014 — 4th place
• 2016 — 4th place
• 2018 — Silver Medal
• 2022 — Gold Medal

Team

Current squad

The following is the Japan roster in the 2023 Volleyball Nations League

Head coach: Masayoshi Manabe

Former squads

• 1994 squad:

Head coach: Tadayoshi Yokota

• 1996 Olympic Games — 9th place (tied)

  Kaiyo Hoshini, Aki Nagatomi, Kazumi Nakamura, Chieko Nakanishi, Motoko Obayashi, Ikumi Ogake, Mika Saiki, Kiyomi Sakamoto, Asako Tajimi, Chiho Torii, Mika Yamauchi, and Tomoko Yoshihara. Head coach: Kuniaki Yoshida.

• 1999 FIVB World Cup — 6th place

  Naomi Eto, Megumi Itabashi, Chikako Kumamae, Hitomi Mitsunaga, Junko Moriyama, Ikumi Ogake, Minako Onuki, Yuka Sakurai, Miki Sasaki, Hiromi Suzuki, Asako Tajimi, and Hiroko Tsukumo. Head coach: Nobushika Kuzuwa.

• 2002 World Championship — 14th place

  Makiko Horai, Sachiko Kodama, Chikako Kumamae, Hisako Mukai, Kanako Naito, Minako Onuki, Ai Otomo, Kana Oyama, Yuko Sano, Sachiko Sugiyama, Miyuki Takahashi, and Shinako Tanaka. Head coach: Masahiro Yoshikawa.

• 2003 FIVB World Cup — 5th place

  Tomoko Yoshihara, Chie Tsuji, Miki Sasaki, Kanako Omura, Yoshie Takeshita, Miyuki Takahashi, Makiko Horai, Yuko Sano, Sachiko Sugiyama, Saori Kimura, Kana Oyama, and Megumi Kurihara. Head coach: Shoichi Yanagimoto.

• 2004 Olympic Qualification Tournament — 1st place (qualified)

  Tomoko Yoshihara, Chie Tsuji, Ikumi Narita, Miki Sasaki, Kanako Omura, Yoshie Takeshita, Miyuki Takahashi, Sachiko Sugiyama, Ai Otomo, Kana Oyama, Megumi Kurihara, and Saori Kimura. Head coach: Shoichi Yanagimoto.

• 2004 Olympic Games — 5th place (tied)

  Tomoko Yoshihara, Chie Tsuji, Ikumi Narita, Miki Sasaki, Kanako Omura, Yoshie Takeshita, Miyuki Takahashi, Sachiko Sugiyama, Ai Otomo, Kana Oyama, Megumi Kurihara, and Saori Kimura. Head coach: Shoichi Yanagimoto.

• 2005 FIVB World Grand Prix — 5th place

  Erika Araki, Makiko Horai, Megumi Itabashi, Ayako Onuma, Ai Otomo, Yuka Sakurai, Miki Shimada, Kaoru Sugayama, Sachiko Sugiyama, Yoshie Takeshita, Miyuki Takahashi, and Chie Yoshizawa. Head coach: Shoichi Yanagimoto.

• 2008 Olympic Qualification Tournament — 3rd place (qualified)

  Erika Araki, Miyuki Kano, Yuki Kawai, Saori Kimura, Megumi Kurihara, Kanako Omura, Yuka Sakurai, Yuko Sano, Miyuki Takahashi, Sachiko Sugiyama, Yoshie Takeshita, and Asako Tajimi. Head coach: Shoichi Yanagimoto.

• 2008 Olympic Games — 5th place (tied)

  Erika Araki, Miyuki Kano, Yuki Kawai, Saori Kimura, Megumi Kurihara, Kanako Omura, Yuka Sakurai, Yuko Sano, Miyuki Takahashi, Sachiko Sugiyama, Yoshie Takeshita, and Asako Tajimi. Head coach: Shoichi Yanagimoto.

• 2010 World Championship — 3rd place

  Megumi Kurihara, Hitomi Nakamichi, Yoshie Takeshita, Kaori Inoue, Ai Yamamoto, Yuko Sano, Mai Yamaguchi, Mizuho Ishida, Erika Araki, Saori Kimura, Yukiko Ebata, Saori Sakoda, Akiko Ino, and Kanari Hamaguchi, Head coach: Masayoshi Manabe.

• 2012 Olympic Games — Bronze Medal

  Erika Araki (c), Saori Kimura, Yoshie Takeshita, Yukiko Ebata, Kaori Inoue, Ai Otomo, Yuko Sano, Mai Yamaguchi, Risa Shinnabe, Saori Sakoda, Maiko Kano, and Hitomi Nakamichi, Head coach: Masayoshi Manabe.

• 2014 World Championship

  Saori Kimura (c), Miyu Nagaoka, Hitomi Nakamichi, Arisa Takada, Arisa Satō, Mai Yamaguchi, Mizuho Ishida, Yuki Ishii, Risa Shinnabe, Yukiko Ebata, Saori Sakoda, Kana Ōno, Sayaka Tsutsui, and Haruka Miyashita, Head coach: Masayoshi Manabe.

• 2016 Olympic Games — 5th place

  Saori Kimura (c), Miyu Nagaoka, Arisa Satō, Mai Yamaguchi, Yuki Ishii, Saori Sakoda, Haruka Miyashita, Kanami Tashiro, Erika Araki, Yurie Nabeya, Haruyo Shimamura and Kotoki Zayasu, Head coach: Masayoshi Manabe.

• 2018 World Championship — 6th Place

  Nana Iwasaka (c), Koyomi Tominaga, Kanami Tashiro, Erika Araki, Mai Okumura, Haruyo Shimamura, Risa Shinnabe, Yuki Ishii, Sarina Koga, Ai Kurogo, Mami Uchiseto, Miyu Nagaoka, Kotoe Inoue, Mako Kobata, Head coach: Kumi Nakada.

• 2020 Summer Olympics — 10th Place

  Erika Araki (c), Ai Kurogo, Sarina Koga, Mai Okumura, Haruyo Shimamura, Yuki Ishii, Mayu Ishikawa, Kanami Tashiro, Mako Kobata, Nichika Yamada, Kotona Hayashi and Aki Momii, Head coach: Kumi Nakada

• 2022 World Championship — 5th Place

  Sarina Koga (c), Mami Uchiseto, Mayu Ishikawa, Haruyo Shimamura, Arisa Inoue, Aki Momii, Kotona Hayashi, Nichika Yamada, Satomi Fukudome, Mami Yokota, Airi Miyabe, Nanami Seki, Ameze Miyabe and Yoshino Sato, Head coach: Masayoshi Manabe.

• 2023 FIVB World Cup — 3rd Place

  Sarina Koga (c), Kotona Hayashi, Mayu Ishikawa, Nanami Seki, Aya Watanabe, Arisa Inoue, Nichika Yamada, Satomi Fukudome, Mizuki Tanaka, Tamaki Matsui, Airi Miyabe, Mai Irisawa, Minami Nishimura and Yukiko Wada,. Head coach: Masayoshi Manabe.

Coaches history

• Tadayoshi Yokota
• Kuniaki Yoshida
• Nobushika Kuzuwa
• Masahiro Yoshikawa
• Shoichi Yanagimoto (2003–2008)
• Masayoshi Manabe (2008–2016; 2021–present)
• Kumi Nakada (2016–2021)^[14][15]

Gallery

See also

• Japan women's national under-23 volleyball team
• Japan women's national under-20 volleyball team
• Japan women's national under-18 volleyball team
• Attack No. 1
• Japan men's national volleyball team

References

External links

• Official website (in English)
• 2020 roster
• FIVB profile
• Video of the moments of victory and of awarding gold medal in 1964 Tokyo Olympics