The Japan Handball Association announced the members of the Men's Japan National Team U-21 (Junior) who will participate in the "19th Men's Junior (U-21) Handball Asian Championship" to be held in China from July 15, 2026 (Wed).

This team is primarily composed of the generation that advanced to the main round in the 2025 Youth World Championship (14th out of 32 teams).

Japan is aiming for a third consecutive championship, having won the tournament twice in a row previously. They are also aiming to qualify for the 26th IHF Men's Junior (U-21) World Championship, scheduled to be held in North Macedonia from June 23 to July 4, 2027 (the top 4 teams will qualify for the World Championship). Leading up to the tournament, the 2nd training camp will be held from July 10 (Fri) at the Ajinomoto National Training Center (Tokyo) before the team departs for China, the host country.

Activity Schedule

● 2nd Training Camp Period: July 10, 2026 (Fri) - July 12, 2026 (Sun) Location: Ajinomoto National Training Center, Tokyo

● 19th Men's Junior (U-21) Handball Asian Championship Period: July 15, 2026 (Wed) - July 27, 2026 (Mon) Host Country: China

Members

[Staff]

Team Leader/Analyst: Keiki Motoyama (Japan Handball Association / Meijo University) Head Coach: Kenji Toyoda (Japan Handball Association / Kokushikan University) Assistant Coach: Katsuhiro Yokoyama (Japan Handball Association / Sapporo University) GK Coach: Masayuki Matsumura (Japan Handball Association / Toyota Boshoku Brave Kings Kariya) Doctor: Kazuki Asai (Japan Handball Association / Keiju General Hospital) Trainer: Takaaki Obata (Japan Handball Association / Kurashiki Heisei Hospital) Team Manager: Yuki Ichise (Japan Handball Association / ACTRAS Co., Ltd.)* *Participating only from July 15-27

[Players]: 18 players (Position / Height / Age / Affiliation / Hometown)

#1 Shunya Obata (GK / 183cm / 20 years old / Chuo University / Shiga Prefecture)

#3 Ayunosuke Hoshina (BP / 183 cm / 19 years old / Kokushikan University / Yamaguchi Prefecture)

#5 Hiroaki Furusawa (BP / 177 cm / 19 years old / Chuo University / Tokyo Prefecture)

#6 Harisu Kiso (BP / 186 cm / 19 years old / Chubu University / Fukuoka Prefecture)

#7 Jusa Yamaguchi (BP / 194 cm / 19 years old / Waseda University / Tochigi Prefecture)

#8 Yusuke Fujii (PV / 183 cm / 19 years old / Kokushikan University / Ibaraki Prefecture)

#9 Daiki Murata (PV / 185 cm / 19 years old / Chubu University / Iwate Prefecture)

#10 Kaisei Akiyoshi (BP / 183 cm / 19 years old / Nippon Sport Science University / Kumamoto Prefecture)

#11 Masato Ohashi (BP / 181 cm / 19 years old / University of Tsukuba / Niigata Prefecture)

#13 Kaisei Nanjo (LW / 194 cm / 19 years old / Chuo University / Gunma Prefecture)

#14 Koki Ishihara (RW / 184 cm / 19 years old / Hosei University / Hyogo Prefecture)

#15 Shotaro Akamine (BP / 193 cm / 19 years old / Toyota Boshoku Brave Kings Kariya / Okinawa Prefecture)

#20 Yuta Nojiri (GK / 192 cm / 20 years old / Nippon Sport Science University / Oita Prefecture)

#21 Naoya Ishihara (RW / 174 cm / 19 years old / Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences / Okinawa Prefecture)

#24 Shota Kondo (GK / 184 cm / 18 years old / Meiji University / Ibaraki Prefecture)

#25 Wataru Ogasawara (PV / 183 cm / 18 years old / University of Tsukuba / Kyoto Prefecture)

#26 Atsuya Sano (LW / 182 cm / 19 years old / Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences / Okayama Prefecture)

#30 Gen Nagano (BP / 175 cm / 19 years old / Kokushikan University / Okayama Prefecture)

*Age/Affiliation as of July 1, 2026 *Positions: BP Back Player, LW Left Wing, RW Right Wing, PV Pivot, GK Goalkeeper

19th Men's Junior (U-21) Asian Championship

13 countries and regions will participate in this tournament. The Men's U-21 Japan National Team is in Group B and will compete against South Korea (2nd place last time), Iran (5th place last time), and others.

◇ Preliminary Round Group Draw Group A: China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong Group B: Japan, South Korea, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, India, United Arab Emirates

◇ Japan's Preliminary Round Schedule ・July 15 (Wed) 18:00 (19:00 JST) vs United Arab Emirates ・July 16 (Thu) 18:00 (19:00 JST) vs India ・July 17 (Fri) 16:00 (17:00 JST) vs Qatar ・July 19 (Sun) 20:00 (21:00 JST) vs Kuwait ・July 20 (Mon) 16:00 (17:00 JST) vs Iran ・July 22 (Wed) 20:00 (21:00 JST) vs South Korea

Broadcast information will be announced once it is decided.

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  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: スポーツ