[Asian Games] Japan Men's and Women's Handball National Teams Decided

The Japan Handball Association announced the men's and women's national teams that will compete in the "20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026" to be held in Japan in September 2026.

The members of the men's national team, "Comet JAPAN," and the women's national team, "Oribime JAPAN," as well as their new uniforms, were unveiled.

Men's and women's national team members appearing at the press conference wearing the new uniforms.

Men's National Team "Comet JAPAN" Members (16 players)

- No. 1 Takumi Nakamura (GK / 29 years old / Fukuoka Prefecture / Toyota Gosei Blue Falcon Nagoya)

- No. 5 Kota Nakata (RW / 27 years old / Kanagawa Prefecture / Toyota Boshoku Kyushu Red Tornadoes SAGA)

- No. 7 Taiga Tsutaya (BP / 26 years old / Osaka Prefecture / Jekstar Tokyo)

- No. 8 Mutsumi Sakurai (RW / 26 years old / Ibaraki Prefecture / Toyota Auto Body Brave Kings Kariya)

- No. 14 Daisuke Tanaka (BP / 30 years old / Nagasaki Prefecture / Toyota Gosei Blue Falcon Nagoya)

- No. 15 Adam Yuki Buiku (BP / 27 years old / Fukuoka Prefecture / Jekstar Tokyo)

- No. 18 Soya Ichihara (PV / 26 years old / Kanagawa Prefecture / Toyota Gosei Blue Falcon Nagoya)

- No. 19 Naoki Sugioka (LW / 32 years old / Kyoto Prefecture / Toyota Auto Body Brave Kings Kariya)

- No. 20 Jin Watanabe (BP / 36 years old / Oita Prefecture / Toyota Auto Body Brave Kings Kariya)

- No. 21 Yuta Iwashita (GK / 35 years old / Kumamoto Prefecture / Jekstar Tokyo)

- No. 23 Itsuki Yoshino (BP / 31 years old / Saitama Prefecture / Toyota Auto Body Brave Kings Kariya)

- No. 24 Hayato Goto (LW / 23 years old / Oita Prefecture / Toyota Motor East Japan Legaroso Miyagi)

- No. 27 Hiroyasu Tamagawa (PV / 31 years old / Saitama Prefecture / Jekstar Tokyo)

- No. 30 Naoki Fujisaka (BP / 24 years old / Fukui Prefecture / Daido Steel Phenix TOKAI)

- No. 32 Akio Hashimoto (PV / 33 years old / Osaka Prefecture / Jekstar Tokyo)

- No. 38 Kotaro Mizumachi (BP / 31 years old / Fukuoka Prefecture / Japan Handball Association)

* Notation is "Uniform Number / Name (Position / Age / Hometown / Affiliation)". Average height 184.7cm, average age 29.2 years. Age, affiliation, and hometown are as of July 7, 2026. Position notation: BP = Back Player, LW = Left Wing, RW = Right Wing, PV = Pivot, GK = Goalkeeper.

Women's National Team "Oribime JAPAN" Members (16 players)

- No. 3 Miyako Hatsumi (PV / 28 years old / Kanagawa Prefecture / Mie Violet Iris)

- No. 5 Arisa Kinjo (RW / 26 years old / Okinawa Prefecture / Samcheok City Hall <South Korea>)

- No. 13 Kaho Nakayama (BP / 27 years old / Okayama Prefecture / CSM Slatina <Romania>)

- No. 19 Naoko Sahara (PV / 30 years old / Fukushima Prefecture / Honey Bee Ishikawa)

- No. 21 Kaoru Wada (LW / 25 years old / Nara Prefecture / Kagawa Bank GiraSol Kagawa)

- No. 23 Natsuki Aizawa (BP / 27 years old / Ibaraki Prefecture / Thüringer HC <Germany>)

- No. 27 Asuka Fujita (RW / 30 years old / Osaka Prefecture / CS Gloria 2018 Bistrița-Năsăud <Romania>)

- No. 30 Sakura Kameya (GK / 39 years old / Norway / CSM Slatina <Romania>)

- No. 32 Haruno Sasaki (BP / 31 years old / Toyama Prefecture / Frisch Auf Göppingen <Germany>)

- No. 37 Minami Matsuura (BP / 24 years old / Yamaguchi Prefecture / Kagawa Bank GiraSol Kagawa)

- No. 39 Claire Francis Gray (PV / 29 years old / Kanagawa Prefecture / Prestige International Aranmare Toyama)

- No. 51 Yuki Yoshitome (LW / 27 years old / Kagoshima Prefecture / Honey Bee Ishikawa)

- No. 65 Ai Nakao (BP / 20 years old / Kyoto Prefecture / Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences)

- No. 77 Aki Ueshima (GK / 25 years old / Ishikawa Prefecture / ASUL Vaulx-en-Velin Handball <France>)

- No. 84 Kaede Higa (GK / 22 years old / Okinawa Prefecture / Kagawa Bank GiraSol Kagawa)

- No. 89 Sora Ishikawa (BP / 23 years old / Oita Prefecture / Balonmano Bera Bera <Spain>)

* Notation is "Uniform Number / Name (Position / Age / Hometown / Affiliation)". Average height 168.7cm, average age 27.1 years. Age, affiliation, and hometown are as of July 7, 2026. Position notation: BP = Back Player, LW = Left Wing, RW = Right Wing, PV = Pivot, GK = Goalkeeper.

Regarding Player Selection

The number of registered players for this tournament is 16. The men's national team was formed mainly with players playing for domestic clubs. Many players have gained experience representing the country, and the members were selected based on their past activities. The women's national team selected players with international competition experience, focusing on both players competing in Europe and other regions, and those playing domestically.

Past Performance and Goals of Both National Teams

The men's national team has gained experience on the international stage through the World Championships in 2025 and the Asian Championships in 2026 since the appointment of coach Toni Gerona. They are focusing on rebuilding their defense, addressing the defensive issues identified in the previous Asian Championships. They aim to show improved teamwork and win the gold medal in this home tournament.

The women's national team are the reigning champions, having won the previous Asian Games. They aim for consecutive victories (two in a row) in this tournament. Having narrowly missed qualification for the Paris Olympics by one point in the Asian qualifiers, this tournament holds significant importance for their preparation for the Los Angeles Olympics Asian qualifiers next year.

Both national teams will aim for the gold medal in this home tournament.

New Uniforms

The new uniforms were produced by hummel, the official partner of the Japan national team, and designed by design office nendo. At the press conference, members of the men's and women's national teams appeared wearing the new uniforms for their first unveiling. The uniforms are a specialized model for handball, with improved armpit patterns to enhance arm mobility and one-piece construction in the pants for greater ease of movement. The women's national team model features a silhouette designed for better mobility during play.

Spectator and Support Information

● Tournament: 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026

● Handball Competition Dates: Men: September 20-29, 2026 / Women: September 21-27, 2026

● Venue: Aichi-Nagoya (Details will be announced as they are finalized)

The press conference was live-streamed on the "TBS Sports (Official)" YouTube channel and is available for viewing in the archive.

Watch the Member Announcement Press Conference

Japan National Team Member List Women's National Team Asian Games

Japan National Team Member List Men's National Team Asian Games

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