The Japan Handball Association is pleased to announce the members selected for the Women's Japan National Team's first overseas expedition of 2026, which will take place in Denmark from April 5 to April 13, 2026, as detailed below.

This expedition marks the first activity of 2026 for the team, in preparation for the 20th Asian Games to be held in Aichi Prefecture in September. The expedition will include a total of 19 members: 6 players affiliated with overseas clubs, 9 players from League H, and 4 university students.

During the expedition, the team will stay in Viborg, Denmark, and plans to conduct joint training sessions and test matches with local clubs.

[Women's Japan National Team 1st Overseas Expedition]

Period: April 5 (Sunday) - April 13 (Monday), 2026 Location: Denmark

[Staff]

Head Coach Morten Soubak (Japan Handball Association) Coach Shota Arai (Japan Handball Association) Trainer Yusuke Kabayama (Japan Handball Association / Kokushikan University) Trainer Momiji Kishii (Japan Handball Association / Nippon Sport Science University Sports Cure Center Yokohama Kenchidai Osteopathic Clinic) Analyst Yuma Mitsuishi (Japan Handball Association) General Manager Aiko Kinugasa (Japan Handball Association)

[Players] 19 members (Position / Height・Age / Affiliation / Hometown Prefecture)

Sakura Kameya GK / 174cm / 39 years old / Molde Elite (Norway) / Norway Naoko Sahara PV / 180cm / 30 years old / Honeybee Ishikawa / Fukushima Prefecture Claire Frances Gray PV / 171cm / 28 years old / Kumamoto Beaust Pinz / Kanagawa Prefecture Miyako Hatsumi PV / 165cm / 28 years old / Mie Violet Iris / Kanagawa Prefecture Yuki Yoshitome LW / 164cm / 27 years old / Honeybee Ishikawa / Kagoshima Prefecture Ayaka Omatsuzawa BP / 175cm / 27 years old / Prestige International Aranmare Toyama / Miyagi Prefecture Kaho Nakayama BP / 172cm / 27 years old / BSV Sachsen Zwickau (Germany) / Okayama Prefecture Natsuki Aizawa BP / 160cm / 27 years old / Thuringer HC (Germany) / Ibaraki Prefecture Aki Ueshima GK / 176cm / 24 years old / ASUL Vaulx-en-Velin Handball (France) / Ishikawa Prefecture Minami Matsuura BP / 158cm / 24 years old / Kagawa Bank GiraSol Kagawa / Yamaguchi Prefecture Sanju Yoshino RW / 166cm / 23 years old / Kumamoto Beaust Pinz / Aichi Prefecture Kotomi Kida BP / 160cm / 23 years old / ZRK Bekament Bukovicka Banja (Serbia) / Osaka Prefecture Sora Ishikawa BP / 169cm / 23 years old / Balonmano Bera Bera (Spain) / Oita Prefecture Saaya Okuyama RW / 158cm / 22 years old / Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Blue Sakuya Kagoshima / Osaka Prefecture Aimi Takarai LW / 166cm / 22 years old / Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Blue Sakuya Kagoshima / Ishikawa Prefecture Ayumi Rokukawa LW / 176cm / 21 years old / University of Tsukuba / Nagano Prefecture Hinako Tada GK / 183cm / 20 years old / Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences / Tokyo Ai Nakao BP / 175cm / 20 years old / Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences / Kyoto Prefecture Mao Kato PV / 178cm / 19 years old / Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences / Miyagi Prefecture

*Position: BP Back Player, LW Left Wing, RW Right Wing, PV Pivot, GK Goalkeeper *Ages are as of March 26, 2026

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  • Source: PR Times
  • Category: News