Smile Japan Will Be All Business in Pursuit of 4th Straight Olympic Ice Hockey Berth

Head coach Yuji Iizuka says an improved offense will be the key when Smile Japan aims to secure its fourth straight women's Olympic ice hockey berth at a final qualifying tournament on home ice.

Japan will host France, China and Poland in the February 6-9 round-robin tournament at Nepia Ice Arena in Tomakomai, Hokkaido Prefecture, where only the team that finishes first will advance to the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.

Seven teams have already qualified for the 10-nation tournament at the 2026 Games: Canada, the United States, Finland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Russia have already secured berths along with Italy, which qualifies as the host nation.

The participation of Russia depends on whether it is allowed to return to the IIHF World Championship program.

In addition to the event in Japan, two additional qualifying tournaments are being held at the same time in Gavle, Sweden, and Bremerhaven, Germany.

Among the four teams playing in Tomakomai, Japan is the highest-ranked at No 7 but Iizuka said his team isn't about to rely on that.

"We expect a very tough competition," Iizuka said at a press conference announcing his 23-member roster. "We are the top seed and the host but we can't think about that. France, Poland and China all have the ability to secure an Olympic berth."

Smile Japan Needs a Boost From Yamashita and Shiga

For years Japan relied on stalwarts like Hanae Kubo and Haruka Toko but those players have been replaced by a new crop of rising stars.

Instead of Kubo and Toko, Japan will be counting heavily on forwards like Hikaru Yamashita, who plays in the domestic league, and Akane Shiga, who is now in the Swedish Women's Hockey League after a season with Ottawa in the Professional Women's Hockey League.

Shiga has emerged as Japan's top sniper. She led Japan with five points (two goals, three assists) in five games at the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship.

"My strength is my shot," Shiga said. "I hope to be able to take advantage of my shooting ability to score some goals in this tournament."

Shiga had three points (two goals, one assist) in five games at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and led Japan in scoring at the 2022 IIHF women's worlds with five points (three goals, two assists) in seven games.

And scoring goals is exactly what Iizuka said will be key for Japan.

"In recent years, the level of goaltending has improved vastly at the international level," Iizuka said. "We've struggled to score at times so we have to take advantage of our power-play opportunities and score as much as possible."

Koike's Leadership Responsibilities

Smile Japan captain Shiori Koike has been tasked with creating a winning team chemistry.

"After the Beijing Olympics, we have had a lot of new players so we have been working hard on bringing them into the fold and making sure they have all the information they need to adjust," Koike said.

While there are many young players, experienced members like three-time Olympian Rui Ukita, Akane Hosoyamada and Mei Miura will provide a veteran presence.

Iizuka said the opening game on Thursday, February 6 against France will be key. 

In their most recent encounter, France beat Japan 3-2 in overtime at the women's Four Nations tournament in December 2024.

"The first game will be crucial for us," said Iizuka. "This is a tournament where you can't afford to lose a single game. We lost to France at the Four Nations so I expect a very tight game against them."

After France, Japan will take on Poland on Saturday, February 8 before wrapping up with China on Sunday.

Additional Info on Tournament Participants

Japan qualified as the host nation at the Nagano Olympics in 1998. After that, Japan failed to qualify for the next three Winter Olympics but then booked spots in Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing as the team showed considerable progress.

France, ranked 13th, has never qualified for the Olympics but has been making progress of late. In Tomakomai, it will be led by veteran Chloe Aurard, a standout who plays for the New York Sirens in the PWHL.

France barely missed an opportunity to qualify for the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, when it lost 2-1 to Hungary in a Division I Group A tournament last year so will be eager to book a place in the Olympics.

In their most recent encounter, Smile Japan beat China 5-0 at the 2024 IIHF Women's Asia Championship in November in Beijing.

China, which launched its own women's professional league in 2023, posted victories over South Korea and Kazakhstan at the recent four-nation Women's Asia Championship.

In addition, China qualified for the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship in Utica, New York, and posted a 3-2 overtime win over Japan in the opening round.

Poland, also seeking its first Olympic berth, advanced to the final round of qualifiers with a 5-0 win over South Korea in December in a Round 3, Group F tournament on home ice.

In that tournament, Poland also beat Taiwan 5-1 and Mexico 9-0.

RELATED:

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• Smile Japan Bows Out of Women's Ice Hockey Tourney After 7-1 loss to Finland

Author: Jim Armstrong

The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.