Japan women's national ice hockey team explained
| Japan |
| Badge: | Japan national ice hockey team 2015.png |
| Badge Size: | 140px |
| Nickname: | Smile Japan
|
| Association: | Japan Ice Hockey Federation |
| Coach: | Yuji Iizuka |
| Captain: | Shiori Koike |
| Most Games: | Shiori Koike (129) |
| Top Scorer: | Hanae Kubo (65) |
| Most Points: | Hanae Kubo (130) |
| Iihf Code: | JPN |
| Iihf Max: | 6 |
| Iihf Max Date: | first in 2019 |
| Iihf Min: | 11 |
| Iihf Min Date: | first in 2011 |
| First Game: | 5–2
|
| Largest Win: | 46–0
|
| Largest Loss: | 18–0
18–0
|
| World Champ2 Name: | World Championships |
| World Champ2 Apps: | 20 |
| World Champ2 First: | 1990 |
| World Champ2 Best: | 5th (2022) |
| Regional Name: | Asian Winter Games |
| Regional Cup Apps: | 6 |
| Regional Cup First: | 1996 |
| Regional Cup Best: | Gold (2017) |
| Regional2 Name: | Challenge Cup of Asia |
| Regional2 Cup Apps: | 3 |
| Regional2 Cup First: | 2010 |
| Regional2 Cup Best: | Gold (2011, 2012) |
| Olympic Apps: | 4 |
| Olympic First: | 1998 |
| Record: | 169–156–6 |
The 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.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Japan had 2,587 registered female players in 2017 and 1,439 as of 2020.[6] [7]
The nickname of Japan women's team is .[8]
Tournament record
Olympic Games
- 1998 – Finished in 6th place
- 2014 – Finished in 7th place
- 2018 – Finished in 6th place
- 2022 – Finished in 6th place
World Championship
- 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[9]
- 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[10]
- 2021 – Finished in 6th place
- 2022 – Finished in 5th place
- 2023 – Finished in 7th place
- 2024 – Finished in 8th place
- 2025 –
Asian Games
- 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
- 2010 – Finished in 2nd place
- 2011 – Finished in 1st place
- 2012 – Finished in 1st place
- 2025 – Finished in 1st place
Pacific Rim Championship
- 1995 – Finished in 4th place
- 1996 – Finished in 4th place
Team
Current roster
Roster for the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship.[11] [12]
Head coach: Yuji Iizuka
| No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team |
|---|
| 2 | D | – C | 1.59m (05.22feet) | 53abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 21 March 1993 |  DK Peregrine |
| 3 | D | | 1.65m (05.41feet) | 63abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 4 July 1999 | Toyota Cygnus |
| 4 | D | – A | 1.61m (05.28feet) | 58abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 22 August 1994 |  Linköping HC |
| 5 | D | | 1.58m (05.18feet) | 53abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 28 April 2002 | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
| 6 | D | | 1.63m (05.35feet) | 61abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 16 March 2006 | Daishin |
| 7 | D | | 1.68m (05.51feet) | 62abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 23 June 2000 | HV71 |
| 8 | D | – A | 1.63m (05.35feet) | 60abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 9 March 1992 | DK Peregrine |
| 9 | D | | 1.63m (05.35feet) | 56abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 3 July 2004 | Takasu Clinic Mikage Gretz |
| 10 | F | | 1.57m (05.15feet) | 55abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 23 September 2000 | AIK |
| 11 | F | | 1.65m (05.41feet) | 61abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 3 March 2001 |  PWHL Ottawa |
| 14 | F | | 1.67m (05.48feet) | 65abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 16 March 1997 | Linköping HC |
| 15 | F | | 1.7m (05.6feet) | 70abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 6 June 1996 | Daishin |
| 16 | F | | 1.62m (05.31feet) | 57abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 22 September 1998 | Ladies Team Lugano |
| 18 | F | | 1.61m (05.28feet) | 53abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 16 October 1996 | DK Peregrine |
| 19 | F | | 1.68m (05.51feet) | 65abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 2 May 2004 | Toyota Cygnus |
| 20 | G | | 1.57m (05.15feet) | 51abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 4 October 2001 | DK Peregrine |
| 21 | F | | 1.58m (05.18feet) | 61abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 27 July 2002 | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
| 24 | F | | 1.62m (05.31feet) | 68abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 16 November 1998 | AIK |
| 27 | F | | 1.47m (04.82feet) | 52abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 17 July 2000 | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
| 30 | G | | 1.67m (05.48feet) | 52abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 29 March 2007 | CrystalBlades |
| 31 | G | | 1.65m (05.41feet) | 70abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 19 September 2004 | Daishin |
| 40 | F | | 1.64m (05.38feet) | 62abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 15 May 2004 | Daishin |
| 61 | F | | 1.56m (05.12feet) | 50abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 19 October 2002 | DK Peregrine | |
Notable former players
Coaches
- 1990 World Championship – Noriko Fukuda
- 1995 to 1998 – Wally Kozak (coach-mentor)[13] [14]
- 1998 Winter Olympics – Toru Itabashi (head coach), Tsutomu Kawabuchi[15] [16]
- 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)
- 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[17]
All-time record against other nations
Last match update: 10 March 2022[18]
Notes and References
- Web site: 14 January 2014. Women's ice hockey team "Smile Japan" chase Olympic dream. 15 October 2016. International Olympic Committee.
- Web site: Kalaf. Samer. 18 December 2013. Japan's Women's Hockey Team Is The Lovable Underdog of the Olympics. 15 October 2016. Deadspin.
- Web site: Meadows . Mark . Ice hockey-Japan's 'Bunnies' boiled by economic crisis . https://web.archive.org/web/20161018220702/http://blogs.reuters.com/sport/2009/04/01/ice-hockey-japans-bunnies-boiled-by-economic-crisis/ . dead . 18 October 2016 . Reuters.com . 1 April 2009 . 15 October 2016.
- News: Watanabe. Tadashi. 26 August 2013. Women's ice hockey team banking on Sochi. The Japan Times. 18 October 2016. 17 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220517085502/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/08/26/national/womens-ice-hockey-team-banking-on-sochi/. dead.
- Web site: 18 December 2013. Japan's ice hockey women chase Olympic dream. 18 October 2016. Al Jazeera.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20140331122410/http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/countries/japan/ IIHF profile
- Web site: 24 April 2020. IIHF Member National Association: Japan. 9 March 2021. International Ice Hockey Federation. en.
- Web site: 28 March 2013. 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". dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130328141556/http://www.asahi.com/sports/update/0328/TKY201303280330.html. 28 March 2013. 9 March 2021. The Asahi Shimbun. ja.
- Web site: Peter. Bruce. 29 March 2011. Japanese National Teams Withdraw from World Championships. 9 March 2021. Puck Worlds. en.
- Web site: Steiss. Adam. 7 March 2020. Women's Worlds cancelled. 9 March 2021. International Ice Hockey Federation. 12 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201212023758/https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2020/ww/news/18296/women%E2%80%99s-worlds-cancelled. dead.
- Web site: 2024 IIHF女子世界選手権 メンバーリスト . . 24 March 2024 . ja . 21 March 2024.
- Web site: Team roster: Japan. 2 April 2024. 2 April 2024. iihf.com.
- Web site: Murray. Robert. 15 March 2018. WHL Alumni set to be inducted to Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame. 9 March 2021. Western Hockey League. en-CA.
- News: Hersh. Philip. 2 February 1998. Japan Getting (Stick) Handle on Women's Hockey. Chicago Tribune. 9 March 2021.
- Web site: 20 January 2014. Death Note–Advisor Kawabuchi. 5 March 2019. Japan Ice Hockey Federation. ja. 4 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190404183709/http://www.jihf.or.jp/whatsnew/detail.php?id=1247. dead.
- Web site: Staff Profile: Tsutomu Kawabuchi. 5 March 2019. Elite Prospects.
- Book: IIHF Guide & Record Book 2020. Moydart. 2019. 9780986796470. Podnieks. Andrew. Toronto. 112–113. Nordmark. Birger.
- Web site: Japan Women All Time Results. 10 March 2022. National Teams of Ice Hockey.
