Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023: Japan qualified for this edition of the World Cup after finishing fourth in the Asia Cup 2022. Japan failed to qualify for the World Cup in the last three editions. They last featured in the multinational event in 2006. They are grouped in Pool B alongside Belgium, Germany, and South Korea.
Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 JAPAN Team Squad
Hockey Men’s Japan Squad
Squad: Yamasaki Koji, Yamada Shota, Kawamura Yusuke, Kawahara Yamato, Tanaka Seren, Fukuda Kentaro, Takade Taiki, Niwa Takuma, Nagai Yuma, Fujishima Raiki, Nagayoshi Ken, Saito Hiro, Kato Ryosei, Ooka Ryoma, Ohashi Masaki, Tanaka Kaito, Kuroda Kisho, Ochiai Hiromasa, Kobayashi Masato, Yoshikawa Takashi
Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 JAPAN Team Schedule
| Match | Date | Time |
| Japan vs Germany | Jan 14, 2023 | 7 PM IST |
| Japan vs South Korea | Jan 17, 2023 | 5 PM IST |
| Belgium vs Japan | Jan 20, 2023 | 5 PM IST |
Japan will kickstart their campaign on 14th January 2023. They will face Germany in their first group encounter. They will then face South Korea and Belgium on 17th and 20th January respectively.
Star Players
Koji Yamasaki
Koji Yamasaki is one of the star players for Japan. The forward was part of the Japanese side that won the gold medal in 2018 Asian Games. He scored four goals in the tournament. In the recently concluded Men’s Hockey Asia Cup he scored 6 goals and finished as the highest goal-scorer for his team. He will yet again lead the attack for the Japanese in the upcoming World Cup.
Hiromasa Ochiai
Hiromasa Ochiai is one of the experienced members in the Japanese side. He has featured in more than 100 matches for the side. In 106 matches he has scored seven times. The midfielder was part of the team that won the Asian Games Gold medal in 2018. He also featured in the Asian Champions Trophy silver medal wining team in 2021.
Seren Tanaka
Seren Tanaka is yet another seasoned campaigner. The midfielder is also part of the Japanese team that won the Asian Games gold and Asian Champions Trophy silver medal in 2018 ad 2021 respectively. The 30-year old has featured in 134 matches. He has netted 10 goals in his career.
Best finish in World Cup
Japan featured so far in only four editions of the World Cup. Their best performance came in 1971 and in 2006. In both the editions, they finished at the ninth spot.
Previous Appearance
They last featured in the World Cup in 2006 which was held in Monchengladbach, Germany. The team managed just a solitary victory in the tournament and finished in the ninth spot.
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