Volleyball: Japan Men Clinch a Spot in the Nations League Finals
Japan captain Yuki Ishikawa spikes the ball in the first set against the United States in a 2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League match on July 20 at Chiba Port Arena. (©SANKEI)
Japan closed out the preliminary phase of the 2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League in fourth place among 18 teams.
And with its 25-21, 25-19, 25-23 victory over the United States on Sunday, July 20 at Chiba Port Arena, head coach Laurent Tillie's squad improved to 8-4 in the global competition.
Determination and a high level of execution carried Japan past Team USA.
Outsider hitter Ran Takahashi ignited Japan's attack and finished with a team-best 18 points. Kento Miyaura chipped in with 13 points, which included two aces. Captain Yuki Ishikawa had seven points.
Takahashi and Taishi Onodera were the team leaders in blocks (two apiece). Japan's Ran Takahashi reacts after scoring a point in the second set against the United States. (©SANKEI)
"We had a difficult week with the national team, but we did well and this was important for us," Takahashi was quoted as saying, according to the Volleyball World website. "Going to the finals is also important for us. We get to meet more good teams and grow further. It was amazing to play here in this perfect environment."
Before its sweep of the United States, Japan played three additional volleyball matches in Week 3 of the tourney's preliminary round.
It started with a four-game victory over Germany on July 16, followed by a thrilling five-set comeback triumph over Argentina the next day. Brazil swept Japan (25-21, 25-23, 28-26) on July 18.
Up next: Japan focuses on getting ready for the eight-team finals in Ningbo, China.
In the quarterfinals, Brazil faces China and Italy takes on Cuba on July 30. Japan meets Poland and France plays Slovenia on July 31.
The final is set for August 3.
In 2023, Japan earned the silver medal at the Volleyball Nations League. A year earlier, the team placed third. Japan Men Capture Silver in the Volleyball Nations League Japan center Ramu Tokashiki looks to score against Australia in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup final on July 20 in Shenzhen, China. ( © FIBA/via KYODO)
Australia defeated Japan 88-79 in the 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup final on Sunday, July 20 in Shenzhen, China, to win the title for the first time.
Japan trailed 54-43 at halftime, but chipped away at the lead. Coach Corey Gaines' squad rallied from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter, using an 11-0 run to tie it at 70-70 on a Maki Takada jumper with 7:26 remaining.
And with 3:54 to play, Takada sank a pair of free throws to pull Japan within 80-75.
For Australia, an Alex Brooke Wilson 3-pointer extended the lead to 85-75 with 2:51 remaining.
Rising Akatsuki Japan star Kokoro Tanaka had 19 of her game-high 21 points in the first quarter. The 19-year-old guard also finished with six rebounds and nine assists. Yuki Miyazawa contributed 18 points and nine boards. Team captain Takada poured in 14 points.
Japan had 15 assists and 17 turnovers in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup final, and the latter statistic was a big factor in the game.
Australia scored 26 points off its opponent's turnovers.
Tournament MVP Alexandra Fowler paced the Aussies with 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
In Sunday's third-place match, China routed South Korea, winning 101-66. Japan guard Kokoro Tanaka runs the offense against China in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup semifinals on July 19. ( © FIBA)
The FIBA Women's Asia Cup was an impressive showcase for Tanaka, who averaged 14.8 points and 5.5 assists in six games.
"When I first started watching her (Tanaka), I noticed that she is fearless, emotionless and things that faze other people don't faze her," Gaines said, according to FIBA.com. "She's always even-toned even when stuff goes bad, even when I yell at her. As she gets older, she's only gonna get better."
The former NBA player and ex-WNBA head coach added, "I've been hard on her, but her future is gonna be great. I show her love — it's tough love because I see greatness in her."
Tanaka, who also plays for the WJBL's Eneos Sunflowers, knocked down 15 of 31 3-pointers in the tournament. Riko Gunji competes against South Korea's Se Young An in the Japan Open women's singles semifinals on July 19 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. (KYODO)
China's Yuqi Shi and South Korea's Se Young An triumphed in the men's and women's singles finals, respectively, at the Japan Open. The BWF World Tour tournament wrapped up on Sunday, July 20 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Shi earned a 21-17, 21-15 victory over France's Alex Lanier to secure the title.
Japan's Koki Watanabe was eliminated in the semifinals on the previous day.
An swept China's Zhiyi Wang 21-12, 21-10 in the women's final.
On Saturday, Riko Gunji and fan favorite Akane Yamaguchi lost their semifinal matches in the Japanese capital.
Also on Saturday, Chiharu Shida and Nami Matsuyama, who claimed the women's bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, dropped their final match in a tournament in Japan. Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan won 21-12, 21-11 in the doubles semifinals at the Japan Open.
Shida and Matsuyama recently announced they would be ending their partnership after the 2025 Badminton World Championships, which will be held in late August in Paris. JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK | Badminton Stars Announce Plan to Part Ways Japan competes in the artistic swimming team free final at the World Aquatics Championships on July 20 in Singapore. (GETTY IMAGES/via KYODO)
At the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Japan collected the silver medal in the artistic swimming free competition on Sunday, July 20.
Representing Japan in the event were Kaho Aitaka, Moka Fujii, Moe Higa, Yuka Kawase, Uta Kobayashi, Tomoka Sato, Nao Shirahase and Sakurako Uchida. They amassed 334.7232 points in the final for a trio of components ― total difficulty, artistic impression and execution ― and finished behind China (348.4749).
In Singapore, Japan's young eight-woman artistic swimming squad featured five athletes who didn't compete at the Paris Olympics.
Sato, the team captain, said the team's effort was strong.
"We swam well in the preliminaries yesterday, so we told each other, 'We can definitely do it today,' before going into the finals," Sato said on Sunday, NHK reported.
The 23-year-old Sato added, "I think we were able to [accomplish] a performance we can be proud of, and I'm relieved that it led to a result. We got off to a good start, but there are still other events to go, so we want to keep this momentum going and persevere until the end."
Takumi Mori, Takaki Hara, Yuta Watanabe and Konosuke Yanagimoto represented Japan in the men's 400-meter freestyle relay at the 2025 World University Games on Thursday, July 17 in Berlin.
The Japanese quartet placed second in the eight-nation final, completing the race in 3 minutes, 14.19 seconds. Brazil secured the bronze in 3:15.02, and the United States won the gold (3:12.30).
The World University Games (July 16-27) is being held in six German cities.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .
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