The Japan women's volleyball national team is seeking to take its game to the next level at the 2025 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship.
Japan enters the tournament in Thailand with a 15-year medal drought at the world championship. As tourney host, it earned the bronze medal in Tokyo in 2010.
Currently ranked fifth in the world, Japan faces 44th-ranked Cameroon in its Pool H preliminary phase opener on Saturday, August 23 (7 PM JST) in Bangkok.
After that, head coach Ferhat Akbas' squad takes on 16th-ranked Ukraine on Monday, August 25 and No 9 Serbia two days later.
The round of 16 begins on August 29, and the winner will be crowned on September 7.
In preparation for the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship, Japan participated in the Women's Volleyball Nations League earlier this summer. Captain Mayu Ishikawa and her teammates were eliminated from title contention in the semifinals, dropping a hard-fought, five-set match to Brazil on July 26 in Lodz, Poland.
In the third-place match, Poland outplayed Japan, including a 15-2 advantage in blocks.
Now, getting ready to play in another high-profile international competition, Ishikawa said her team's focus should be internal.
"Rather than focusing on the opponent, I think it's important to concentrate on what we need to do first in the opening match," Ishikawa said in an interview with TBS News.
"Ultimately, we aim to advance toward medal contention, and I believe the positive team atmosphere is one of our strengths," she added. "Regardless of the situation, we want to maintain that atmosphere and win as a team."
Preparing for the World Championship
Supervised by Turkish coach Akbas, Japan held an open practice on August 13 at the Ajinomoto National Training Center in Tokyo's Kita Ward. It was part of a pre-world championship training camp.
Speaking after the open practice, 25-year-old Ishikawa said she was pleased with the overall productivity of the team's recent practices.
"The precision of our team practices has improved, and we've prepared our strategies," Ishikawa said, according to NHK.
"We'll do our best to secure the medal we couldn't win in the Nations League. I want to take the lead and drive the team forward."
A Quick Look at Team Japan
In addition to Ishikawa, Japan's key players include outside hitters Yukiko Wada and Yoshino Sato, middle blockers Ayaka Araki and Haruyo Shimamura and setter Nanami Seki, among others.
Ishikawa was second overall in points (50) at the recent Women's Volleyball Nations League, while Wada was tied for fifth (43). Sato was seventh (37).
Among attackers, Ishikawa had the most kills (46), underscoring her vital role for Japan. Wada also scored most of her points on attack (42, fourth-most) in the tourney.
Seki was the top setter in the Volleyball Nations League, with her 40.17% success rate topping the chart.
Looking back at the Volleyball Nations League, Wada said she was disappointed Japan's players didn't return home with medals.
"We were able to score points in the early stages, but in the latter stages, [our opponents] started to play defensively, and there were more unpleasant situations," Wada was quoted as saying by Sports Hochi. "So it was difficult to see the results we wanted."
Despite some difficulties in Poland, the 2024 Paris Olympian believes Japan has made demonstrable improvements as a team that will lead to success in Thailand.
"We are going to the World Volleyball Championship to win a medal," Wada told reporters at the August 13 training camp. She then said, "We want to prove the results of what we have done this year."
World Championship Notes
Starting with this tournament, the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship will be held every two years. Previously, it was staged once every four years.
In addition, the 2025 tournament is the first with a 32-nation field. Previously, it was a 24-nation competition.
Serbia won its second consecutive world title in 2022, beating Brazil in the final.
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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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