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Japan women's national ice hockey team

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Japan
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Smile Japan
スマイルジャパン
AssociationJapan Ice Hockey Federation
Head coachYuji Iizuka
Assistants
CaptainShiori Koike
Most gamesShiori Koike (129)
Top scorerHanae Kubo (65)
Most pointsHanae Kubo (130)
IIHF codeJPN
Ranking
Current IIHF7 Steady (28 August 2023)[1]
Highest IIHF6 (first in 2019)
Lowest IIHF11 (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
Appearances4 (first in 1998)
World Championships
Appearances20 (first in 1990)
Best result5th (2022)
Asian Winter Games
Appearances6 (first in 1996)
Best resultGold Gold (2017)
Challenge Cup of Asia
Appearances3 (first in 2010)
Best resultGold Gold (2011, 2012)
International record (W–L–T)
169–156–6

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]

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

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Olympic Games

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  • 1998 – Finished in 6th place
  • 2014 – Finished in 7th place
  • 2018 – Finished in 6th place
  • 2022 – Finished in 6th place

World Championship

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  • 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

Asian Games

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  • 1996 – Finished in 2nd place Silver
  • 1999 – Finished in 2nd place Silver
  • 2003 – Finished in 2nd place Silver
  • 2007 – Finished in 2nd place Silver
  • 2011 – Finished in 2nd place Silver
  • 2017 – Finished in 1st place Gold
  • 2025 –

IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia

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  • 2010 – Finished in 2nd place Silver
  • 2011 – Finished in 1st place Gold
  • 2012 – Finished in 1st place Gold
  • 2025 – Finished in 1st place Gold

Pacific Rim Championship

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  • 1995 – Finished in 4th place
  • 1996 – Finished in 4th place

Team

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Current roster

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Roster 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) (1993-03-21) 21 March 1993 (age 31) Japan DK Peregrine
3 D Aoi Shiga 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) 63 kg (139 lb) (1999-07-04) 4 July 1999 (age 25) Japan Toyota Cygnus
4 D Ayaka Hitosato – A 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) 58 kg (128 lb) (1994-08-22) 22 August 1994 (age 30) Sweden Linköping HC
5 D Shiori Yamashita 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in) 53 kg (117 lb) (2002-04-28) 28 April 2002 (age 22) Japan Seibu Princess Rabbits
6 D Kohane Sato 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) 61 kg (134 lb) (2006-03-16) 16 March 2006 (age 18) Japan Daishin
7 D Kanami Seki 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) 62 kg (137 lb) (2000-06-23) 23 June 2000 (age 24) Sweden HV71
8 D Akane Hosoyamada – A 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) 60 kg (130 lb) (1992-03-09) 9 March 1992 (age 32) Japan DK Peregrine
9 D An Shinoda 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) 56 kg (123 lb) (2004-07-03) 3 July 2004 (age 20) Japan Takasu Clinic Mikage Gretz
10 F Hikaru Yamashita 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) 55 kg (121 lb) (2000-09-23) 23 September 2000 (age 24) Sweden AIK
11 F Akane Shiga 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) 61 kg (134 lb) (2001-03-03) 3 March 2001 (age 23) Canada PWHL Ottawa
14 F Haruka Toko 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) 65 kg (143 lb) (1997-03-16) 16 March 1997 (age 27) Sweden Linköping HC
15 F Rui Ukita 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) 70 kg (150 lb) (1996-06-06) 6 June 1996 (age 28) Japan Daishin
16 F Yoshino Enomoto 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) 57 kg (126 lb) (1998-09-22) 22 September 1998 (age 26) Switzerland Ladies Team Lugano
18 F Suzuka Toko 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) 53 kg (117 lb) (1996-10-16) 16 October 1996 (age 28) Japan DK Peregrine
19 F Makoto Ito 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) 65 kg (143 lb) (2004-05-02) 2 May 2004 (age 20) Japan Toyota Cygnus
20 G Miyuu Masuhara 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) 51 kg (112 lb) (2001-10-04) 4 October 2001 (age 23) Japan DK Peregrine
21 F Marin Nagaoka 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in) 61 kg (134 lb) (2002-07-27) 27 July 2002 (age 22) Japan Seibu Princess Rabbits
24 F Mei Miura 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) 68 kg (150 lb) (1998-11-16) 16 November 1998 (age 26) Sweden AIK
27 F Remi Koyama 1.47 m (4 ft 10 in) 52 kg (115 lb) (2000-07-17) 17 July 2000 (age 24) Japan Seibu Princess Rabbits
30 G Haruka Kuromaru 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) 52 kg (115 lb) (2007-03-29) 29 March 2007 (age 17) Japan CrystalBlades
31 G Riko Kawaguchi 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) 70 kg (150 lb) (2004-09-19) 19 September 2004 (age 20) Japan Daishin
40 F Rio Noro 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) 62 kg (137 lb) (2004-05-15) 15 May 2004 (age 20) Japan Daishin
61 F Yumeka Wajima 1.56 m (5 ft 1 in) 50 kg (110 lb) (2002-10-19) 19 October 2002 (age 22) Japan DK Peregrine

Notable former players

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Coaches

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  • 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

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Last match update: 10 March 2022[19]

Key
     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

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References

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  1. ^ "IIHF Women's World Ranking". IIHF. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Women's ice hockey team "Smile Japan" chase Olympic dream". International Olympic Committee. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  3. ^ Kalaf, Samer (18 December 2013). "Japan's Women's Hockey Team Is The Lovable Underdog of the Olympics". Deadspin. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Japan's ice hockey women chase Olympic dream". Al Jazeera. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  7. ^ IIHF profile
  8. ^ "IIHF Member National Association: Japan". International Ice Hockey Federation. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ Peter, Bruce (29 March 2011). "Japanese National Teams Withdraw from World Championships". Puck Worlds. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "Team roster: Japan" (PDF). iihf.com. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  14. ^ Murray, Robert (15 March 2018). "WHL Alumni set to be inducted to Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame". Western Hockey League. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  15. ^ Hersh, Philip (2 February 1998). "Japan Getting (Stick) Handle on Women's Hockey". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ a b "Staff Profile: Tsutomu Kawabuchi". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  18. ^ Podnieks, Andrew; Nordmark, Birger, eds. (2019). IIHF Guide & Record Book 2020. Toronto: Moydart. pp. 112–113. ISBN 9780986796470.
  19. ^ "Japan Women All Time Results" (PDF). National Teams of Ice Hockey. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
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