The Japan national badminton team () 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 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.
Medals table
+ Badminton at Summer Olympics all time medal table-Japan Events Gold Silver Bronze Total MS Men's singles 0 0 0 0 WS Women's singles 0 0 1 1 MD Men's doubles 0 0 0 0 WD Women's doubles 1 1 1 3 XD Mixed doubles 0 0 2 2 Total 1 1 4 6
List of medalists Year Location Player Category Medal 2012 London, England Mizuki FujiiReika Kakiiwa Women's doubles Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Misaki MatsutomoAyaka Takahashi Women's doubles Gold Nozomi Okuhara Women's singles Bronze 2020 Tokyo, Japan Yuta WatanabeArisa Higashino Mixed doubles Bronze 2024 Paris, France Nami MatsuyamaChiharu Shida Women's doubles Bronze
World Badminton Championships 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. 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. 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. In 2021, Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi became the nation's first world champions in men's doubles. With three women's singles titles, Akane Yamaguchi is Japan's most successful player across any discipline at the world championships. Mixed doubles remains the only discipline in which Japan has not yet won a title.
Medals table
+ World Badminton Championships all time medal table-Japan Events Gold Silver Bronze Total MS Men's singles 2 2 1 4 WS Women's singles 4 2 4 9 MD Men's doubles 1 2 3 6 WD Women's doubles 3 3 12 18 XD Mixed doubles 0 2 3 5 Total 10 11 23 44
List of medalists Year Player Category Medal 1977 Etsuko ToganooEmiko Ueno Women's doubles Gold Hiroe Yuki Women's singles Bronze 1980 Yoshiko YonekuraAtsuko Tokuda Women's doubles Bronze 2003 Shizuka YamamotoSeiko Yamada Women's doubles Bronze 2007 Shuichi SakamotoShintaro Ikeda Men's doubles Bronze Kumiko OguraReiko Shiota Women's doubles Bronze 2011 Miyuki MaedaSatoko Suetsuna Women's doubles Bronze 2014 Minatsu Mitani Women's singles Bronze Reika KakiiwaMiyuki Maeda Women's doubles Bronze 2015 Kento Momota Men's singles Bronze Hiroyuki EndoKenichi Hayakawa Men's doubles Bronze Naoko FukumanKurumi Yonao Women's doubles Bronze 2017 Nozomi Okuhara Women's singles Gold Yuki FukushimaSayaka Hirota Women's doubles Silver Takeshi KamuraKeigo Sonoda Men's doubles Bronze Misaki MatsutomoAyaka Takahashi Women's doubles Bronze 2018 Kento Momota Men's singles Gold Mayu MatsumotoWakana Nagahara Women's doubles Gold Takeshi KamuraKeigo Sonoda Men's doubles Silver Yuki FukushimaSayaka Hirota Women's doubles Silver Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles Bronze Shiho TanakaKoharu Yonemoto Women's doubles Bronze Year Player Category Medal 2019 Kento Momota Men's singles Gold Mayu MatsumotoWakana Nagahara Women's doubles Gold Nozomi Okuhara Women's singles Silver Takuro HokiYugo Kobayashi Men's doubles Silver Yuki FukushimaSayaka Hirota Women's doubles Silver Yuta WatanabeArisa Higashino Mixed doubles Bronze 2021 Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles Gold Takuro HokiYugo Kobayashi Men's doubles Gold Yuta WatanabeArisa Higashino Mixed doubles Silver Mayu MatsumotoWakana Nagahara Women's doubles Bronze Kyohei YamashitaNaru Shinoya Mixed doubles Bronze 2022 Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles Gold Yuta WatanabeArisa Higashino Mixed doubles Silver Mayu MatsumotoWakana Nagahara Women's doubles Bronze 2023 Kodai Naraoka Men's singles Silver Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles Bronze Yuta WatanabeArisa Higashino Mixed doubles Bronze 2025 Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles Gold Rin IwanagaKie Nakanishi Women's doubles Bronze Nami MatsuyamaChiharu Shida Women's doubles Bronze 2026 Kodai Naraoka Men's singles Silver Akane Yamaguchi Women's singles Silver
Most successful players 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
Thomas Cup Year Round1949Did not enter19521955Did not qualify19581961Withdrew1964First round inter-zone − 4th1967 Final round inter-zone − 3rd1970Did not qualify197319761979 Semi-finalists − 3rd1982 Quarter-finalists − 5th1984 Group stage − 7th1986Did not qualify19881990 Group stage − 5th / 6th1992Did not qualify199419961998200020022004 Quarter-finalists2006 Quarter-finalists2008 Quarter-finalists2010 Semi-finalists − 3rd2012 Semi-finalists − 3rd2014 Champions2016 Quarter-finalists − 7th 2018 Runners-up − 2nd2020 Semi-finalists − 4th2022 Semi-finalists − 4th2024 Quarter-finalists − 5th2026 Quarter-finalists − 5th
Uber Cup Year ResultBWF: Uber Cup 1966 Champions 1969 Champions1972 Champions1975 Runners-up1978 Champions1981 Champions1984 Group stage − 7th1986 Fourth place1988 Fourth place1990 Semi-finalists1992 Group stage − 5th / 6th1994 Group stage − 6th1996 Group stage − 5th1998 Group stage − 5th2000 Group stage − 5th2002 Group stage − 6th2004 Semi-finalists2006 Quarter-finalists2008 Group stage − 9th2010 Semi-finalists 2012 Semi-finalists2014 Runners-up 2016 Semi-finalists − 3rd2018 Champions2020 Runners-up2022 Semi-finalists − 3rd2024 Semi-finalists − 4th2026 Semi-finalists − 3rd
Sudirman Cup Year ResultBWF: Sudirman Cup 1989 Group 2 − 7th1991 Group 1 − 6th1993 Group 2 − 9th1995 Group 2 − 10th1997 Group 2 − 12th1999 Group 2 − 10th2001 Group 2 − 8th2003 Group 2 − 9th2005 Group 2 − 10th2007 Group 2 − 9th2009 Group 1 − 7th2011 Quarter-finalists − 5/82013 Quarter-finalists − 5/82015 Runners-up − 2nd2017 Semi-finalists − 3rd 2019 Runners-up − 2nd 2021 Runners-up − 2nd 2023 Semi-finalists − 4th2025 Semi-finalists − 4th
**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Participation in Badminton Asia Team Championships 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. In the mixed team event, Japan won the inaugural tournament in 2017 and finished as runners-up in 2019.
Men's team Year Result 2016 Runners-up 2018 Quarter-finalists 2020 Semi-finalists 2022 Group stage 2024 Semi-finalists 2026 Champions
Women's team Year Result 2016 Runners-up 2018 Champions 2020 Champions 2022 Semi-finalists 2024 Semi-finalists 2026 Quarter-finalists − 5th
Mixed team Year Result 2017 Champions 2019 Runners-up 2023 Quarter-finalists 2025 Semi-finalists
Junior competitive record World Junior Championships (Individual)
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. Akane Yamaguchi successfully defended the girls' singles title in 2013 and 2014. 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
+ World Junior Championships all time medal table-Japan Events Gold Silver Bronze Total BS Boys' singles 1 2 4 7 GS Girls' singles 5 4 8 17 BD Boys' doubles 1 2 4 7 GD Girls' doubles 3 0 6 9 XD Mixed doubles 0 0 3 3 Total 10 8 25 43
List of medalists The following table lists the medalists in individual disciplines at the World Junior Championships:
Year Player Category Medal 2007 Kenichi Tago Boys' singles 2008 Sayaka Sato Girls' singles 2009 Tatsuya Watanabe Boys' singles 2010 Misaki Matsutomo Girls' singles Naoko Fukuman Girls' singles 2011 Kento Momota Boys' singles Nozomi Okuhara Girls' singles 2012 Kento Momota Boys' singles Nozomi Okuhara Girls' singles Takuto InoueYuki Kaneko Boys' doubles Akane Yamaguchi Girls' singles Aya Ohori Girls' singles 2013 Akane Yamaguchi Girls' singles Aya Ohori Girls' singles 2014 Akane Yamaguchi Girls' singles Masahide NakataKatsuki Tamate Boys' doubles Aya Ohori Girls' singles Yuta WatanabeArisa Higashino Mixed doubles 2015 Koki Watanabe Boys' singles Natsuki Nidaira Girls' singles Moe Araki Girls' singles Kenya MitsuhashiYuta Watanabe Boys' doubles Nami MatsuyamaChiharu Shida Girls' doubles Shuto MoriokaChiharu Shida Mixed doubles 2016 Sayaka HobaraNami Matsuyama Girls' doubles Natsuki Oie Girls' singles
Year Player Category Medal 2017 Mahiro KanekoYunosuke Kubota Boys' doubles Kodai Naraoka Boys' singles 2018 Kodai Naraoka Boys' singles 2019 Riko Gunji Girls' singles Takuma KawamotoTsubasa Kawamura Boys' doubles Kaho OsawaHinata Suzuki Girls' doubles 2022 Tomoka Miyazaki Girls' singles Sorano Yoshikawa Girls' singles Rui KiyamaKanano Muroya Girls' doubles Kokona IshikawaRiko Kiyose Girls' doubles 2023 Maya TaguchiAya Tamaki Girls' doubles Mei SudoNao Yamakita Girls' doubles Ririna HiramotoRiko Kiyose Girls' doubles 2024 Ririna HiramotoAya Tamaki Girls' doubles Kenta MatsukawaYuto Nakashizu Boys' doubles Shuji SawadaAya Tamaki Mixed doubles 2025 Kazuma KawanoShuji Sawada Boys' doubles
Suhandinata Cup
YearRound 2000 Group stage 7th of 24 2002Did 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 2012Runners-up2nd of 30 2013 Fourth place 4th of 30 2014Semi-finals3rd of 33 2015 Fourth place 4th of 39 2016Semi-finals3rd of 52 2017Semi-finals3rd of 44 2018Semi-finals3rd of 39 2019Semi-finals3rd of 43 2020Cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic 2021 2022Semi-finals3rd of 37 2023 Quarter-finals 5th of 38 2024Semi-finals3rd of 39 2025Semi-finals3rd of 36 2026 Qualified
Asian Junior Team Championships
Boys' team + Year Result 1997 Quarter-finalists 1998 Quarter-finalists − 5th1999 Quarter-finalists2000 Quarter-finalists2001 Quarter-finalists2002 Quarter-finalists2004 Quarter-finalists2005 Quarter-finalists
Girls' teams