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| Nickname(s) | Nippon (火の鳥NIPPON)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Association | Japan Volleyball Association[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach | Kumi Nakada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIVB ranking | 7 (as of September, 2019) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Uniforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Summer Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 13 (First in 1964) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result |  (1964, 1976) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 16 (First in 1960) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result |  (1962, 1967, 1974) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| http://www.jva.or.jp/ (:ja) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Honours
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.svg.png "Gold medal – first place"){kind=icon}
.svg.png "Silver medal – second place"){kind=icon}
.svg.png "Bronze medal – third place"){kind=icon}
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 current head coach is Kumi Nakada.
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.
)
Masae Kasai standing in the center of podium as the captain of Oriental Witches,[5] 1964 Tokyo Olympics Women's Volleyball
See also Video of the moments of victory and of awarding gold medal in Tokyo Olympics
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]
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.
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.svg.png)
1976 – Gold Medal
1984 – Bronze Medal
1988 – 4th place
1992 – 5th place- 1996 – 9th place
2004 – 5th place (tied)
2008 – 5th place (tied)
2012 – Bronze Medal
2016 – 5th place (tied)- 2020 – TBA
.svg.png){kind=small}
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
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
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
- 2021 – TBA
FIVB World Grand Prix
.svg.png)
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
.svg.png){kind=small}
FIVB Nations League
- 2018 – 10th place
- 2019 – 9th 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
Asian Championship
.svg.png)
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
.svg.png){kind=small}
Asian Cup Volleyball Championship
- 2008 — 4th place
- 2010 — 4th place
2012 — 5th place- 2014 — 4th place
- 2016 — 4th place
- 2018 — Silver Medal
Team
Current squad
The following is the Japanese roster in the 2019 Volleyball Women's World Cup.[10]
Head coach: Kumi Nakada
| No. | Name | Position | Date of birth | Height | Weight | Spike | Block | 2019–20 club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sarina Koga | WS/OH | 21 May 1996 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 67 kg (148 lb) | 302 cm (119 in) | 290 cm (110 in) |  NEC Red Rockets |
| 3 | Nana Iwasaka (c) | MB | 3 July 1990 | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | 75 kg (165 lb) | 300 cm (120 in) | 293 cm (115 in) | Hisamitsu Springs |
| 4 | Risa Shinnabe | OP | 11 July 1990 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | 64 kg (141 lb) | 292 cm (115 in) | 285 cm (112 in) | Hisamitsu Springs |
| 5 | Erika Araki | MB | 3 August 1984 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 81 kg (179 lb) | 305 cm (120 in) | 297 cm (117 in) | Toyota Auto Body Queenseis |
| 6 | Haruka Miyashita | S | 1 September 1994 | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | 61 kg (134 lb) | 290 cm (110 in) | 272 cm (107 in) | Okayama Seagulls |
| 7 | Yuki Ishii | WS/OH | 8 May 1991 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 68 kg (150 lb) | 302 cm (119 in) | 287 cm (113 in) | Hisamitsu Springs |
| 11 | Yurie Nabeya | WS | 15 December 1993 | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | 55 kg (121 lb) | 305 cm (120 in) | 292 cm (115 in) | Denso Airybees |
| 12 | Miya Sato | S | 7 March 1990 | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | 278 cm (109 in) | 275 cm (108 in) | Hitachi Rivale |
| 13 | Mai Okumura | MB | 31 October 1990 | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | 69 kg (152 lb) | 297 cm (117 in) | 285 cm (112 in) | Denso Airybees |
| 14 | Mako Kobata | L | 15 August 1992 | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) | 56 kg (123 lb) | 281 cm (111 in) | 274 cm (108 in) | JT Marvelous |
| 16 | Ai Kurogo | WS/OH | 14 June 1998 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 69 kg (152 lb) | 306 cm (120 in) | 295 cm (116 in) | Toray Arrows |
| 18 | Akane Yamagishi | L | 8 January 1991 | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 55 kg (121 lb) | 280 cm (110 in) | 260 cm (100 in) | Saitama Ageo Medics |
| 21 | Miwako Osanai | WS | 19 July 1997 | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 67 kg (148 lb) | 293 cm (115 in) | 270 cm (110 in) | Hitachi Rivale |
| 24 | Aika Akutagawa | MB | 3 April 1991 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | 300 cm (120 in) | 280 cm (110 in) | JT Marvelous |
| 28 | Mayu Ishikawa | WS/OH | 14 May 2000 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | 66 kg (146 lb) | 300 cm (120 in) | 285 cm (112 in) | Toray Arrows |
Former squads
- 1994 squad:
Head coach: Tadayoshi Yokota
| No. | Name | Date of birth | Height | 1994 club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motoko Obayashi | 15.06.67 | 182 cm (5 ft 11 1&fras1;2 in) | Hitachi |
| 2 | Aki Nagatomi | 17.07.69 | 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) | Hitachi |
| 3 | Chie Natori | 09.08.69 | 176 cm (5 ft 9 1&fras1;2 in) | Daiei |
| 4 | Mika Yamauchi | 07.10.69 | 182 cm (5 ft 11 1&fras1;2 in) | Daiei |
| 6 | Tomoko Yoshihara | 04.02.70 | 179 cm (5 ft 10 1&fras1;2 in) | Hitachi |
| 7 | Kiyoko Fukuda | 04.08.70 | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | Hitachi |
| 8 | Miho Murata | 03.09.70 | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | Hitachi |
| 9 | Asako Tajimi | 26.02.72 | 179 cm (5 ft 10 1&fras1;2 in) | Hitachi |
| 12 | Yumi Natta | 12.07.69 | 161 cm (5 ft 3 1&fras1;2 in) | Daiei |
| 13 | Naomi Eto | 12.07.72 | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | Hitachi |
| 16 | Maki Fujiyoshi | 24.05.74 | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | Hitachi |
| 17 | Miyuki Shimasaki | 13.10.74 | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | Hitachi |
| 5 | Kazuyo Matsukawa | 07.01.70 | 181 cm (5 ft 11 1&fras1;2 in) | Daiei |
| 10 | Kumiko Sakamoto | 13.12.72 | 177 cm (5 ft 9 1&fras1;2 in) | Daiei |
| 14 | Minako Onuki | 15.10.72 | 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) | NEC |
| 15 | Miho Ota | 27.10.73 | 179 cm (5 ft 10 1&fras1;2 in) | Hitachi |
| 18 | Eiko Yasui | 08.05.71 | 164 cm (5 ft 4 1&fras1;2 in) | Kanagawa |
- 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.
Gallery
- 1964 Tokyo Olympics Women's Volleyball
Sata Isobe spiking ball against Soviet Union National Team, 1964 Tokyo Olympics Women's Volleyball
Emiko Miyamoto at the 1964 Olympics
Yuriko Handa at the 1964 Olympics
Masae Kasai standing in the center of podium as the team leader, 1964 Tokyo Olympics Women's Volleyball
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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
References
- ^ "Nickname：HINOTORI NIPPON". jva.or.jp.
- ^ "JVA".
- ^ "AVC".
- ^ "FIVB Senior World Ranking - Women". The FIVB. FIVB. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
- ^ Remembering Volleyball's 'Oriental Witches' - The New York Times
- ^ "LONDON 2012 VOLLEYBALL, VOLLEYBALL WOMEN". olympic.org. August 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "Brazil, Japan reach semifinals". ESPN.com. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "Japan humbled by Brazil in women's volleyball semifinals, to play S. Korea for bronze". The Japan Times. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "Japan beats South Korea for historic volleyball bronze". The Japan Times. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "Japan Team Roster". FIVB. Retrieved 28 September 2019.