Japan national baseball team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Japan women's national baseball team.

The Japan national baseball team (野球日本代表, Yakyū Nippon Daihyō or Yakyū Nihon Daihyō), also known as Samurai Japan (侍ジャパン), is the national team representing Japan in international baseball competitions. It won the World Baseball Classic in 2006, 2009, and 2023 as well as WBSC Premier12 in 2019. The team is currently ranked 1st in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation and is a baseball powerhouse.

Japan national baseball team
Information
Country	Japan
Federation	Baseball Federation of Japan
Confederation	Baseball Federation of Asia
Manager	Hirokazu Ibata
WBSC ranking
Current	1 (18 December 2023)
Highest	1 (8 times; latest in December 2021)
Lowest	3 (December 2012)
Uniforms
World Baseball Classic
Appearances	6 (first in 2006)
Best result	1st (3 times, most recent in 2023)
Olympic Games
Appearances	6 (first in 1992)
Best result	1st (1 time, in 2020)
WBSC Premier12
Appearances	2 (first in 2015)
Best result	1st (1 time, in 2019)
World Cup
Appearances	15 (first in 1972)
Best result	2nd (1 time, in 1982)
Intercontinental Cup
Appearances	15 (first in 1973)
Best result	1st (2 times, most recent in 1997)
Asian Games
Appearances	7 (first in 1994)
Best result	1st (1 time, in 1994)
Asian Championship
Appearances	25 (first in 1954)
Best result	1st (17 times, most recent in 2017)

The team has participated in every Summer Olympic Games since the first demonstration tournament in 1984, through when baseball was discontinued following the 2008 Beijing Games. Until 2000, the team was made up exclusively of amateur players. Since the 2000 Summer Olympics, the team has been composed of players from Nippon Professional Baseball. The team that played in the 2006 World Baseball Classic included Japanese players from Major League Baseball as well.

The team won the 2006 Classic. It played at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, as it had qualified through the Asian Baseball Championship in 2007. Unlike the WBC roster, the Olympic team was composed exclusively of NPB players (though it included one amateur player, who was drafted during the tournament's progress). Japan participated in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, finishing third.

Team Japan won the 2019 WBSC Premier12 Tournament. At the Olympics in 2021 it faced Israel, Mexico, South Korea, the United States, and the Dominican Republic, and won gold. At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Japan was able to defeat the defending champion United States to become the champions. Their 2023 win was their third World Baseball Classic championship, and have the most championships.

Current roster

Japan – 2024 WBSC Premier12 roster
Players				Coaches
Pitchers 46 Shoma Fujihira 21 Takahisa Hayakawa 17 Hiromi Itoh 57 Koki Kitayama 15 Taisei Ota 35 Hiroto Saiki 50 Tatsuya Shimizu 16 Chihiro Sumida 49 Shōta Suzuki 56 Sora Suzuki 19 Hiroto Takahashi 20 Shosei Togo 60 Rikuto Yokoyama		Catchers 22 Yūto Koga 31 Shōgo Sakakura 32 Toshiya Satoh Infielders  6 Sosuke Genda 51 Kaito Kozono 24 Kotaro Kurebayashi 23 Ryoya Kurihara  2 Shugo Maki 25 Kazuma Okamoto  4 Naoki Yoshikawa Outfielders  5 Ryota Isobata 66 Chusei Mannami  1 Shota Morishita  7 Keita Sano  8 Ryōsuke Tatsumi		Manager 89 Hirokazu Ibata Coaches 79 Yoshiyuki Kamei 88 Makoto Kaneko 74 Yoshinori Murata 77 Eishin Soyogi 81 Kazuki Yoshimi

Nickname

The team has been nicknamed "Samurai Japan" (侍ジャパン). Like other national teams in Japan, the nickname is usually prefixed with the surname of the manager. However, in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the team used Samurai, a symbol of Japan's history, instead of Hara, the surname of their manager. In 2012, it was adopted officially.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of professional baseball match results currently active in the latest version of the WBSC World Rankings, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Lose   Void or postponed   Fixture

2019

Asian Championship SR	October 18	China	1–11 (F/7)	Japan	Taichung Stadium, Taiwan
	12:00 TST		Boxscore		Attendance: 346

Asian Championship SR	October 19	South Korea	3–11	Japan	Taichung Stadium, Taiwan
	12:00 TST		Boxscore		Attendance: 362

WBSC Premier 12 GS	November 5	Venezuela	4–8	Japan	Taoyuan Stadium, Taiwan
	18:00		Boxscore		Attendance: 3,868

WBSC Premier 12 GS	November 6	Puerto Rico	0–4	Japan	Taoyuan Stadium, Taiwan
	18:00		Boxscore		Attendance: 4,209

WBSC Premier 12 GS	November 7	Japan	8–1	Chinese Taipei	Taichung Stadium, Taiwan
	18:30		Boxscore		Attendance: 20,465

WBSC Premier 12 SR	November 11	Australia	2–3	Japan	ZOZO Marine Stadium, Japan
	19:00		Boxscore		Attendance: 17,819

WBSC Premier 12 SR	November 12	United States	4–3	Japan	Tokyo Dome, Japan
	19:00		Boxscore		Attendance: 27,827

WBSC Premier 12 SR	November 13	Mexico	1–3	Japan	Tokyo Dome, Japan
	19:00		Boxscore		Attendance: 31,776

WBSC Premier 12 SR	November 16	South Korea	8–10	Japan	Tokyo Dome, Japan
	19:00		Boxscore		Attendance: 44,224

WBSC Premier 12 F	November 17	South Korea	3–5	Japan	Tokyo Dome, Japan
	19:00		Boxscore		Attendance: 44,960

2023

World Baseball Classic GS	March 9	China	1–8	Japan	Tokyo Dome, Japan
	19:00 JT	LP: Wang Xiang (0–1)	Boxscore	WP: Shohei Ohtani (1–0) HR: Shugo Maki (1)	Attendance: 41,616 Umpires: HP – Stu Scheurwater, 1B – Cuti Suarez, 2B – Ben May, 3B – Delfin Colon

World Baseball Classic GS	March 10	South Korea	4–13	Japan	Tokyo Dome, Japan
	19:00 JT	LP: Kwang-hyun Kim (0–1) HR: Yang Eui-ji (2), Park Kun-woo (1)	Boxscore	WP: Yu Darvish (1–0) HR: Kensuke Kondo (1)	Attendance: 41,629 Umpires: HP: Laz Díaz, 1B: Stu Scheurwater, 2B: Delfin Colon, 3B: Cuti Suárez

World Baseball Classic GS	March 11	Czech Republic	2–10	Japan	Tokyo Dome, Japan
	19:00 JT	LP: Ondřej Satoria (0–1)	Boxscore	WP: Rōki Sasaki (1–0) Sv: Hiroya Miyagi (1) HR: Shugo Maki (2)	Attendance: 41,637 Umpires: HP: Ben May, 1B: Ramon De Jesus, 2B: Cuti Suárez, 3B: Fabrizio Fabrizzi

World Baseball Classic GS	March 12	Japan	7–1	Australia	Tokyo Dome, Japan
	19:00 JT	WP: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1–0) HR: Shohei Ohtani (1)	Boxscore	LP: Will Sherriff (0–1) HR: Alex Hall (1)	Attendance: 41,664 Umpires: HP – Pat Hoberg, 1B – Cuti Suárez, 2B – Adam Hamari, 3B – Chan-Jung Chang

World Baseball Classic QF	March 16	Italy	3–9	Japan	Tokyo Dome, Japan
	19:00 JT	LP: Joe LaSorsa (0–1) HR: Dominic Fletcher (1)	Boxscore	WP: Shohei Ohtani (2–0) HR: Kazuma Okamoto (1), Masataka Yoshida (1)	Attendance: 41,723 Umpires: HP – Pat Hoberg, 1B – Laz Díaz, 2B – Delfin Colon, 3B – Cuti Suárez

World Baseball Classic F	March 21	United States	2–3	Japan	LoanDepot Park, United States
	19:00 ET	LP: Merrill Kelly (0–1) HR: Trea Turner (5), Kyle Schwarber (2)	Boxscore	WP: Shōta Imanaga (1–0) Sv: Shohei Ohtani (1) HR: Munetaka Murakami (1), Kazuma Okamoto (2)	Attendance: 36,098 Umpires: HP – Lance Barksdale, 1B – John Tumpane, 2B – Edward Pinales, 3B – Ramiro Alfaro, LF – Jong Chui Park, RF – Quinn Wolcott

2024

Friendly	March 6	Europe	0–5	Japan	Kyocera Dome, Japan
	19:00 JT	LP: Tom de Blok	Boxscore	WP: Kaima Taira	Attendance: 27,698

Friendly	March 7	Japan	2–0	Europe	Kyocera Dome, Japan
	19:00 JT	WP: Yumeto Kanemaru Sv: Atsuki Taneichi	Boxscore	LP: Markus Solbach	Attendance: 25,379

Friendly	November 9	Czech Republic	1–7	Japan	Vantelin Dome, Japan
	19:06 JT	LP: Jan Tomek	Boxscore	WP: Hiroto Saiki	Attendance: 33,758

Friendly	November 10	Japan	9–0	Czech Republic	Vantelin Dome, Japan
	19:08 JT	WP: Takahisa Hayakawa	Boxscore	LP: Ondřej Satoria	Attendance: 23,223

WBSC Premier 12 GS	November 13	Australia	3–9	Japan	Vantelin Dome, Japan
	19:00 JT	LP: Lewis Thorpe	Boxscore	WP: Haruto Inoue	Attendance: 30,691

WBSC Premier 12 GS	November 15	South Korea	3–6	Japan	Taipei Dome, Taiwan
	18:00 NST	LP: Do-Kyu Kwak	Boxscore	WP: Chihiro Sumida Sv: Taisei Ota	Attendance: 20,028

WBSC Premier 12 GS	November 16	Japan	3–1	Chinese Taipei	Taipei Dome, Taiwan
	18:00 NST	WP: Hiroto Saiki Sv: Taisei Ota	Boxscore	WP: Po-Ching Cheng	Attendance: 34,882

WBSC Premier 12 GS	November 17	Cuba	6–7	Japan	Tianmu Baseball Stadium, Taiwan
	18:00 NST	LP: Liván Moinelo	Boxscore	WP: Tatsuya Shimizu Sv: Shōma Fujihira	Attendance: 4,955

WBSC Premier 12 GS	November 18	Japan	11–3	Dominican Republic	Tianmu Baseball Stadium, Taiwan
	18:00 NST	WP: Haruto Inoue	Boxscore	LP: Héctor Pérez	Attendance: 2,572

Regional competition

Asian Baseball Championship

Main article: Asian Baseball Championship

Japan have dominated the Asian Baseball Championship since its inception, and have competed in every year. Japan have never missed out on placing in the top 3 in any tournament, and is the only team to have achieved this feat. Japan also holds the record for most consecutive Asian Championships, having won four times in a row on two occasions.

Asian Games

Main article: Baseball at the Asian Games

In all four Asian Games to include baseball, Japan have placed in the top 3 in every tournament, though they have only won the tournament once in the first event held in Hiroshima in 1994.

International competition

2009 World Baseball Classic finals. Kenji Johjima and Yu Darvish

World Baseball Classic Championship Trophy

World Baseball Classic

Main article: World Baseball Classic

See also: 2006 World Baseball Classic rosters § Japan, 2009 World Baseball Classic rosters § Japan, and 2013 World Baseball Classic rosters § .C2.A0Japan

2006

Japan won the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic, defeating Cuba in the Final.

2009

Japan also won the 2009 World Baseball Classic, hosting the Pool A games in the Tokyo Dome. Japan started the tournament opener with a 4–0 win over China. Japan then secured advancement into the second round with a 14–2 win in seven innings over arch-rival South Korea. The game was shortened due to the WBC's mercy rule. Japan then played South Korea again to determine seeding for the second round. In the rematch, the Koreans shut out Japan 1–0, making Japan advance as the Pool A runner-up. In Pool 1 of the WBC quarter-finals, Japan defeated Cuba 6–0, but lost to Korea again 4–1. In the elimination match that followed, Japan secured a spot in the semi-finals with a 5–0 win over Cuba. Japan defeated South Korea in the Finals 5–3 partly because of an Ichiro Suzuki base hit in the 10th inning.

2013: The end of the championship streak

Japan, the two-time world defending champions, entered the 2013 World Baseball Classic, hosting Pool A games in the Fukuoka Dome, facing off against Cuba, China, and newcomers Brazil. Despite their first loss against the Cuban team, they secured their position for the second round in 2013 World Baseball Classic Pool 1 to face off the Netherlands and Chinese Taipei. The Japanese team narrowly won against Chinese Taipei 4–3, before proceeding to face off against the Dutch team, winning against them twice before proceeding to the semi-final round, along with the Netherlands, as they faced off against Puerto Rico. Despite Japan's efforts, they eventually lost 3–1 against the Puerto Rican team right after Alex Ríos scored two additional runs from a home run. Japan finished third in the 2013 WBC, as their two-time championship streak ended. The Japanese team bowed out to both the crowd and the Puerto Rican team as a gesture of respect.

2017

In the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Japan hosted Pool B games in the Tokyo Dome. They finished first round play with a 3–0 record and advanced to the second round. After batting .364, outfielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh was named the Pool B MVP. In the second round, Japan hosted Pool E games in the Tokyo Dome and again finished pool play with a 3–0 record, advancing to the championship round. However, Japan lost to the United States 2–1 in the semifinal. They finished the tournament in third place. Pitcher Kodai Senga was named to the All-World Baseball Classic Team.

Olympic Games

Main article: Baseball at the Summer Olympics

2021

Baseball was featured at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, for the first time since the 2008 Summer Olympics. Six national teams are competing in the tournament: Israel, Japan (host), Mexico, South Korea, the United States, and the Dominican Republic. It will be held from July 28 to August 7, 2021.

Baseball World Cup

Main article: Baseball World Cup

Intercontinental Cup

Main article: Intercontinental Cup (baseball)

Premier12 Tournament

2015

Team Japan came in third in the 2015 WBSC Premier12 Tournament.

2019

Team Japan won the 12-team 2019 WBSC Premier12 Tournament, which was held from November 2 to 17, 2019.

International tournament results

World Baseball Classic

World Baseball Classic record								Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	W	L	RS	RA		W	L	RS	RA
2006	Final	1st	5	3	60	21		No qualifiers held
2009	Final	1st	7	2	50	16		No qualifiers held
2013	Semifinal	3rd	5	2	44	27		Automatically qualified
2017	Semifinal	3rd	6	1	47	24		Automatically qualified
2023	Final	1st	7	0	56	18		Automatically qualified
Total	3 titles	5/5	30	8	257	106		-	-	-	-

Olympic Games

Summer Olympics record								Qualification
Year	Round	Position	W	L	RS	RA
1964	Exhibition only		0	1	2	6		No qualifiers held
1984	Finals	1st	4	1	33	11		Invited
1988	Finals	2nd	4	1	27	17		1984 Summer Olympics
1992	Bronze Match	3rd	6	3	70	22		1991 Asian Baseball Championship
1996	Finals	2nd	5	4	77	59		1995 Asian Baseball Championship
2000	Bronze Match	4th	4	5	42	29		1999 Asian Baseball Championship
2004	Bronze Match	3rd	7	2	60	23		2003 Asian Baseball Championship
2008	Bronze Match	4th	4	5	36	28		2007 Asian Baseball Championship
2020	Gold Match	1st	5	0	25	15		Qualified as hosts
Total	6/6		31	19	310	176

WBSC Premier 12

Year	Round	Position	W	L	%	RS	RA
2015	Semifinals	3rd	7	1	.875	54	22
2019	Finals	1st	7	1	.875	52	24
Total	1 Title	2/2	14	2	.875	106	46

Baseball World Cup

Main article: Baseball World Cup

1972 : 4th 1976 : 3rd 1978 : 4th 1980 : 3rd

1982 : 2nd 1984 : 4th 1986 : 5th 1988 : 4th 1990 : 5th 1994 : 3rd

1998 : 5th 2001 : 4th 2003 : 3rd 2005 : 5th 2007 : 3rd 2009 : 10th 2011 : 12th

Intercontinental Cup

Main article: Intercontinental Cup (baseball)

1973 : 1st 1975 : 2nd 1977 : 3rd 1979 : 2nd 1981 : 6th 1985 : 3rd

1987 : 3rd 1989 : 2nd 1991 : 2nd 1993 : 3rd 1995 : 2nd

1997 : 1st 1999 : 3rd 2002 : 5th 2006 : 4th 2010 : 5th

Asian Baseball Championship

Main article: Asian Baseball Championship

1954 : 2nd 1955 : 1st 1959 : 1st 1962 : 1st 1963 : 2nd 1965 : 1st 1967 : 1st 1969 : 1st 1971 : 2nd

1973 : 1st 1975 : 2nd 1983 : 2nd 1985 : 1st 1987 : 2nd 1989 : 2nd 1991 : 1st 1993 : 1st 1995 : 1st

1997 : 2nd 1999 : 2nd 2001 : 3rd 2003 : 1st 2005 : 1st 2007 : 1st 2009 : 1st 2012 : 1st 2015 : 3rd

2017 : 1st 2019 : 2nd 2023 : 1st

Far Eastern Championships

Main article: Baseball at the Far Eastern Championship Games

1913 : 1st 1915 : 2nd 1917 : 1st 1919 : 2nd 1921 : 2nd

1923 : 2nd 1925 : 2nd 1927 : 1st 1930 : 1st 1934 : 2nd

See also

• Sports in Japan
• Baseball in Japan
• Japan national under-18 baseball team
• Japan women's national baseball team
• Japan–South Korea baseball rivalry

External links

• Official website (in English)
• 野球日本代表 侍ジャパンオフィシャルサイト (in Japanese)
• 侍ジャパン公式 on Instagram
• 侍ジャパン on Facebook
• 野球日本代表 侍ジャパン on Twitter