The Japanese women's national ice hockey team (Japanese: アイスホッケー女子日本代表, Hepburn: Aisuhokkē Joshi Nippon Daihyō) represents Japan at the International Ice Hockey Federation's Women's World Championships, the Winter Olympics, and at other international ice hockey tournaments. The women's national team is governed by the Japan Ice Hockey Federation.[2][3][4][5][6] Japan had 2,587 registered female players in 2017 and 1,439 as of 2020.[7][8]
Nickname(s) | Smile Japan スマイルジャパン |
---|---|
Association | Japan Ice Hockey Federation |
Head coach | Yuji Iizuka |
Assistants |
|
Captain | Shiori Koike |
Most games | Shiori Koike (129) |
Top scorer | Hanae Kubo (65) |
Most points | Hanae Kubo (130) |
IIHF code | JPN |
Ranking | |
Current IIHF | 7 (28 August 2023)[1] |
Highest IIHF | 6 (first in 2019) |
Lowest IIHF | 11 (first in 2011) |
First international | |
Japan 5–2 Netherlands (North York or Mississauga, Canada; 21 April 1987) | |
Biggest win | |
Japan 46–0 Hong Kong (Sapporo, Japan; 21 February 2017) | |
Biggest defeat | |
Canada 18–0 Japan (Ottawa, Canada; 22 March 1990) Canada 18–0 Japan (Richmond, Canada; 5 April 1996) | |
Olympics | |
Appearances | 4 (first in 1998) |
World Championships | |
Appearances | 20 (first in 1990) |
Best result | 5th (2022) |
Asian Winter Games | |
Appearances | 6 (first in 1996) |
Best result | Gold (2017) |
Challenge Cup of Asia | |
Appearances | 3 (first in 2010) |
Best result | Gold (2011, 2012) |
International record (W–L–T) | |
169–156–6 |
The nickname of Japan women's team is "Smile Japan" (Japanese: スマイルジャパン, Hepburn: Sumairu Japan).[9]
Tournament record
editOlympic Games
edit- 1998 – Finished in 6th place
- 2014 – Finished in 7th place
- 2018 – Finished in 6th place
- 2022 – Finished in 6th place
World Championship
edit- 1990 – Finished in 8th place
- 1999 – Finished in 9th place (1st in Group B, Promoted to Top Division)
- 2000 – Finished in 8th place (Relegated to Division I).
- 2001 – Finished in 10th place (2nd in Division I).
- 2003 – Finished in 9th place (1st in Group B, Promoted to Top Division)
- 2004 – Finished in 9th place (Relegated to Division I)
- 2005 – Finished in 10th place (2nd in Division I)
- 2007 – Finished in 10th place (1st in Group B, Promoted to Top Division)
- 2008 – Finished in 7th place
- 2009 – Finished in 8th place (Relegated to Division I)
- 2011 – Withdrew from the tournament due to an earthquake[10]
- 2012 – Finished in 11th place (3rd in Division IA)
- 2013 – Finished in 9th place (1st in Division IA, Promoted to Top Division)
- 2015 – Finished in 7th place
- 2016 – Finished in 8th place (Relegated to Division I)
- 2017 – Finished in 9th place (1st in Division IA, Promoted to Top Division)
- 2019 – Finished in 8th place
- 2020 – Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[11]
- 2021 – Finished in 6th place
- 2022 – Finished in 5th place
- 2023 – Finished in 7th place
- 2024 – Finished in 8th place
- 2025 –
Asian Games
edit- 1996 – Finished in 2nd place
- 1999 – Finished in 2nd place
- 2003 – Finished in 2nd place
- 2007 – Finished in 2nd place
- 2011 – Finished in 2nd place
- 2017 – Finished in 1st place
- 2025 –
IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia
edit- 2010 – Finished in 2nd place
- 2011 – Finished in 1st place
- 2012 – Finished in 1st place
- 2025 – Finished in 1st place
Pacific Rim Championship
editTeam
editCurrent roster
editRoster for the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship.[12][13]
Head coach: Yuji Iizuka
No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | D | Shiori Koike – C | 1.59 m (5 ft 3 in) | 53 kg (117 lb) | 21 March 1993 | DK Peregrine |
3 | D | Aoi Shiga | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 63 kg (139 lb) | 4 July 1999 | Toyota Cygnus |
4 | D | Ayaka Hitosato – A | 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) | 58 kg (128 lb) | 22 August 1994 | Linköping HC |
5 | D | Shiori Yamashita | 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in) | 53 kg (117 lb) | 28 April 2002 | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
6 | D | Kohane Sato | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | 61 kg (134 lb) | 16 March 2006 | Daishin |
7 | D | Kanami Seki | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | 23 June 2000 | HV71 |
8 | D | Akane Hosoyamada – A | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | 60 kg (130 lb) | 9 March 1992 | DK Peregrine |
9 | D | An Shinoda | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | 56 kg (123 lb) | 3 July 2004 | Takasu Clinic Mikage Gretz |
10 | F | Hikaru Yamashita | 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) | 55 kg (121 lb) | 23 September 2000 | AIK |
11 | F | Akane Shiga | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 61 kg (134 lb) | 3 March 2001 | PWHL Ottawa |
14 | F | Haruka Toko | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | 65 kg (143 lb) | 16 March 1997 | Linköping HC |
15 | F | Rui Ukita | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | 70 kg (150 lb) | 6 June 1996 | Daishin |
16 | F | Yoshino Enomoto | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | 57 kg (126 lb) | 22 September 1998 | Ladies Team Lugano |
18 | F | Suzuka Toko | 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) | 53 kg (117 lb) | 16 October 1996 | DK Peregrine |
19 | F | Makoto Ito | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | 65 kg (143 lb) | 2 May 2004 | Toyota Cygnus |
20 | G | Miyuu Masuhara | 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) | 51 kg (112 lb) | 4 October 2001 | DK Peregrine |
21 | F | Marin Nagaoka | 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in) | 61 kg (134 lb) | 27 July 2002 | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
24 | F | Mei Miura | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | 68 kg (150 lb) | 16 November 1998 | AIK |
27 | F | Remi Koyama | 1.47 m (4 ft 10 in) | 52 kg (115 lb) | 17 July 2000 | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
30 | G | Haruka Kuromaru | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | 52 kg (115 lb) | 29 March 2007 | CrystalBlades |
31 | G | Riko Kawaguchi | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 70 kg (150 lb) | 19 September 2004 | Daishin |
40 | F | Rio Noro | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | 15 May 2004 | Daishin |
61 | F | Yumeka Wajima | 1.56 m (5 ft 1 in) | 50 kg (110 lb) | 19 October 2002 | DK Peregrine |
Notable former players
editCoaches
edit- 1990 World Championship – Noriko Fukuda
- 1995 to 1998 – Wally Kozak (coach-mentor)[14][15]
- 1998 Winter Olympics – Toru Itabashi (head coach), Tsutomu Kawabuchi[16][17]
- 1999 World Championship B – Takayuki Hatanda
- 2000 World Championship – Takayuki Hatanda
- 2001 World Championship D1 – Takayuki Hatanda
- 2003 World Championship D1 – Masayuki Takahashi
- 2004 World Championship – Kenji Nobuta (head coach), Tsutomu Kawabuchi (assistant coach, team manager)[16][17]
- 2005 World Championship D1 – Kenji Nobuta
- 2007 World Championship D1 – Kohichi Satoh
- 2008 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
- 2009 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
- 2012 World Championship D1A – Yuji Iizuka
- 2013 World Championship D1A – Yuji Iizuka
- 2014 Winter Olympics – Yuji Iizuka
- 2015 World Championship – Yoshifumi Fujisawa
- 2016 World Championship – Yoshifumi Fujisawa
- 2017 World Championship D1A – Takeshi Yamanaka
- 2018 Winter Olympics – Takeshi Yamanaka
- 2019 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
- 2021 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
- 2022 Winter Olympics – Yuji Iizuka
- 2022 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
- 2023 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
Source: IIHF Guide & Record Book 2020[18]
All-time record against other nations
editLast match update: 10 March 2022[19]
Positive balance (more Wins) | |
Neutral balance (Wins = Losses) | |
Negative balance (more Losses) |
Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Czech Republic | 27 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 79 | 46 |
France | 19 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 72 | 20 |
South Korea | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 139 | 2 |
Denmark | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 13 |
Austria | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 9 |
Norway | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 17 |
North Korea | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 12 |
Latvia | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 7 |
Hungary | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 8 |
Slovakia | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 11 |
Kazakhstan | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 31 | 20 |
Hong Kong | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
Thailand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
Germany | 33 | 15 | 2 | 16 | 68 | 68 |
China | 38 | 18 | 0 | 20 | 96 | 122 |
Canada | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 82 |
United States | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 110 |
Sweden | 18 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 24 | 82 |
Switzerland | 28 | 6 | 3 | 19 | 47 | 70 |
Finland | 16 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 13 | 67 |
Russia | 21 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 31 | 71 |
Total | 295 | 151 | 6 | 138 | 906 | 837 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "IIHF Women's World Ranking". IIHF. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "Women's ice hockey team "Smile Japan" chase Olympic dream". International Olympic Committee. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ Kalaf, Samer (18 December 2013). "Japan's Women's Hockey Team Is The Lovable Underdog of the Olympics". Deadspin. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ Meadows, Mark (1 April 2009). "Ice hockey-Japan's 'Bunnies' boiled by economic crisis". Reuters.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ Watanabe, Tadashi (26 August 2013). "Women's ice hockey team banking on Sochi". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ "Japan's ice hockey women chase Olympic dream". Al Jazeera. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ IIHF profile
- ^ "IIHF Member National Association: Japan". International Ice Hockey Federation. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "愛称は「スマイルジャパン」 アイスホッケー女子代表" [National Women's Ice Hockey Team Nicknamed "Smile Japan"]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 28 March 2013. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ Peter, Bruce (29 March 2011). "Japanese National Teams Withdraw from World Championships". Puck Worlds. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ Steiss, Adam (7 March 2020). "Women's Worlds cancelled". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "2024 IIHF女子世界選手権 メンバーリスト". Japan Ice Hockey Federation (in Japanese). 21 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Team roster: Japan" (PDF). iihf.com. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ Murray, Robert (15 March 2018). "WHL Alumni set to be inducted to Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame". Western Hockey League. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ Hersh, Philip (2 February 1998). "Japan Getting (Stick) Handle on Women's Hockey". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Death Note–Advisor Kawabuchi". Japan Ice Hockey Federation (in Japanese). 20 January 2014. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Staff Profile: Tsutomu Kawabuchi". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
- ^ Podnieks, Andrew; Nordmark, Birger, eds. (2019). IIHF Guide & Record Book 2020. Toronto: Moydart. pp. 112–113. ISBN 9780986796470.
- ^ "Japan Women All Time Results" (PDF). National Teams of Ice Hockey. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
External links
editWikimedia Commons has media related to Japan women's national ice hockey team.