The Japan women's national volleyball team (Hinotori Nippon, 火の鳥NIPPON), or All-Japan women's volleyball team , is the volleyball national Team of Japan, currently ranked 5th in the world by FIVB. The current head coach is Kumi Nakada .
One of their greatest successes was at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo , when they defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union on the way to the gold medal. Japan was qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics by winning the Women's Olympic Qualifier that was held from 8 May to 16 May in Tokyo, Japan. In Athens, Greece the Team took fifth place in the overall-rankings.
Finally after almost three decades of medal drought in the Olympics, Japan took home the Bronze medal by defeating South Korea in the 2012 Summer Olympics .
Japan qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics as the best Asian Team in the 2012 FIVB Women's World Olympic Qualification Tournament . In the 2012 Olympics, Japan had been placed on Group A with Russian Republic, Italy , Dominican Republic , the host Great Britain and Algeria. Japan finished third in the Group. In the quarter-finals, Japan faced their old Asian rival China . Saori Kimura and Yukiko Ebata each scored 33 points in this thrilling game in which China were beaten by 3–2. It was their first win over China in 11 years as far as FIVB games are concerned. On 9 August 2012, the Japanese were outplayed by the defending champions Brazil in the semi-finals. On 11 August 2012, Japan beat South Korea 3–0 in the bronze medal match. It is the first Olympics' volleyball medal for the Japanese since the 1984 Summer Olympics . On August 13, 2012, Japan Women's Team was ranked 3rd in the world behind United States women's national volleyball team and Brazil women's national volleyball team .
#, & – Twice 3 Straight Major titles in 1960s and 1970s
(World Women's Volleyball Championship, World Cup , Olympic Games )
1964 – Gold Medal 1968 – Silver Medal 1972 – Silver Medal 1976 – Gold Medal 1984 – Bronze Medal 1988 – 4th place 1992 – 5th place 1996 – 9th place 2004 – 5th place (tied) 2008 – 5th place (tied) 2012 – Bronze Medal 2016 – 5th place (tied) 1960 – Silver Medal 1962 – Gold Medal 1967 – Gold Medal 1970 – Silver Medal 1974 – Gold Medal 1978 – Silver Medal 1982 – 4th place 1986 – 7th place 1990 – 8th place 1994 – 7th place 1998 – 8th place 2002 – 13th place 2006 – 6th place 2010 – Bronze Medal 2014 – 7th place 1973 – Silver Medal 1977 – Gold Medal 1981 – Silver Medal 1985 – 4th place 1989 – 4th place 1991 – 7th place 1995 – 6th place 1999 – 6th place 2003 – 5th place 2007 – 7th place 2011 – 4th place 2015 – 5th placeFIVB World Grand Prix 1993 – 6th place 1994 – 4th place 1995 – 7th place 1996 – 8th place 1997 – 4th place 1998 – 7th place 1999 – 7th place 2000 – 8th place 2001 – 6th place 2002 – 5th place 2003 – 9th place 2004 – 9th place 2005 – 5th place 2006 – 6th place 2007 – 9th place 2008 – 6th place 2009 – 6th place 2010 – 5th place 2011 – 5th place 2012 – 9th place 2013 – 4th place 2014 – Silver Medal 2015 – 6th place 2016 – 9th place2009 – 7th place 2010 – 7th place 2011 – Gold Medal 2013 – 5th place 2014 – 6th place 2015 – Silver Medal 1962 – Gold Medal 1966 – Gold Medal 1970 – Gold Medal 1974 – Gold Medal 1978 – Gold Medal 1982 – Silver Medal 1986 – Silver Medal 1990 – Bronze Medal 1994 – Bronze Medal 1998 – Bronze Medal 2002 – Bronze Medal 2006 – Silver Medal 2010 – 6th place 2014 – 4th place 1975 – Gold Medal 1979 – Silver Medal 1983 – Gold Medal 1987 – Silver Medal 1989 – Bronze Medal 1991 – Silver Medal 1993 – Silver Medal 1995 – Bronze Medal 1997 – Bronze Medal 1999 – Bronze Medal 2001 – 4th place 2003 – Silver Medal 2005 – Bronze Medal 2007 – Gold Medal 2009 – Bronze Medal 2011 – Silver Medal 2013 – Silver Medal 2015 – 6th place 2017 - 2008 — 4th place 2010 — 4th place 2012 — 5th place 2014 — 4th place 2016 — 4th placeThe following is the Japanese roster in the 2016 Summer Olympics .
Head coach: TBA
1994 squad: Head coach: Tadayoshi Yokota
1996 Olympic Games — 9th place (tied) Kaiyo Hoshini, Aki Nagatomi , Kazumi Nakamura , Chieko Nakanishi , Motoko Obayashi , Ikumi Ogake, Mika Saiki , Kiyomi Sakamoto , Asako Tajimi , Chiho Torii , Mika Yamauchi , and Tomoko Yoshihara . Head Coach : Kuniaki Yoshida.1999 FIVB World Cup — 6th place Naomi Eto , Megumi Itabashi, Chikako Kumamae , Hitomi Mitsunaga , Junko Moriyama , Ikumi Ogake, Minako Onuki , Yuka Sakurai , Miki Sasaki , Hiromi Suzuki , Asako Tajimi , and Hiroko Tsukumo . Head Coach : Nobushika Kuzuwa. 2002 World Championship — 14th place Makiko Horai , Sachiko Kodama, Chikako Kumamae , Hisako Mukai , Kanako Naito , Minako Onuki , Ai Otomo, Kana Oyama , Yuko Sano, Sachiko Sugiyama , Miyuki Takahashi , and Shinako Tanaka . Head Coach : Masahiro Yoshikawa. 2003 FIVB World Cup — 5th place Tomoko Yoshihara , Chie Tsuji , Miki Sasaki , Kanako Omura , Yoshie Takeshita , Miyuki Takahashi , Makiko Horai , Yuko Sano, Sachiko Sugiyama , Saori Kimura , Kana Oyama , and Megumi Kurihara . Head Coach : Shoichi Yanagimoto. 2004 Olympic Qualification Tournament — 1st place (qualified) Tomoko Yoshihara, Chie Tsuji , Ikumi Narita , Miki Sasaki, Kanako Omura , Yoshie Takeshita , Miyuki Takahashi, Sachiko Sugiyama, Ai Otomo, Kana Oyama, Megumi Kurihara , and Saori Kimura. Head Coach : Shoichi Yanagimoto.2004 Olympic Games — 5th place (tied) Tomoko Yoshihara, Chie Tsuji, Ikumi Narita , Miki Sasaki, Kanako Omura, Yoshie Takeshita, Miyuki Takahashi, Sachiko Sugiyama, Ai Otomo, Kana Oyama, Megumi Kurihara, and Saori Kimura. Head Coach : Shoichi Yanagimoto.2005 FIVB World Grand Prix — 5th place Erika Araki , Makiko Horai, Megumi Itabashi, Ayako Onuma, Ai Otomo, Yuka Sakurai , Miki Shimada, Kaoru Sugayama , Sachiko Sugiyama, Yoshie Takeshita, Miyuki Takahashi, and Chie Yoshizawa. Head Coach : Shoichi Yanagimoto. 2008 Olympic Qualification Tournament — 3rd place (qualified) Erika Araki , Miyuki Kano , Yuki Kawai , Saori Kimura, Megumi Kurihara, Kanako Omura, Yuka Sakurai, Yuko Sano, Miyuki Takahashi, Sachiko Sugiyama, Yoshie Takeshita, and Asako Tajimi. Head Coach : Shoichi Yanagimoto.2008 Olympic Games — 5th place (tied) Erika Araki, Miyuki Kano , Yuki Kawai , Saori Kimura, Megumi Kurihara, Kanako Omura, Yuka Sakurai, Yuko Sano, Miyuki Takahashi, Sachiko Sugiyama, Yoshie Takeshita, and Asako Tajimi. Head Coach : Shoichi Yanagimoto.2010 World Championship — 3rd place Megumi Kurihara, Hitomi Nakamichi , Yoshie Takeshita, Kaori Inoue , Ai Yamamoto, Yuko Sano, Mai Yamaguchi , Mizuho Ishida , Erika Araki, Saori Kimura, Yukiko Ebata , Saori Sakoda , Akiko Ino , and Kanari Hamaguchi , Head Coach : Masayoshi Manabe . 2012 Olympic Games — Bronze Medal Erika Araki(c ), Saori Kimura, Yoshie Takeshita, Yukiko Ebata, Kaori Inoue , Ai Otomo, Yuko Sano, Mai Yamaguchi , Risa Shinnabe , Saori Sakoda , Maiko Kano , and Hitomi Nakamichi , Head Coach : Masayoshi Manabe .2014 World Championship