TEAM COMPOSITION

JPN / Japan

Team manager	TORIBA Kenji
Coach	MOROKUMA Naoki
Assistant coach	OHISHI Hiroaki
Doctor	ARAKI Daisuke
Physiotherapist	KANNO Satoshi

	No.	Name	Lastname	Shirt Name	Birthdate	Height	Weight	Spike	Block	Club
	1	Shigeru	KONDOH	KONDOH	23.11.1982	186	85	330	315	Toray Arrows
	2	Yuta	ABE	ABE	08.08.1981	191	85	342	320	Suntory Sunbirds
L	3	Takeshi	NAGANO	NAGANO	11.07.1985	176	69	315	300	Panasonic Panthers
	4	Yusuke	MATSUTA	MATSUTA	31.10.1982	200	90	345	340	Panasonic Panthers
	5	Naoya	SUGA	SUGA	17.05.1985	178	85	325	315	JT Thunders
	6	Yoshifumi	SUZUKI	YOSHIFUMI	31.03.1983	200	95	340	300	Suntory Sunbirds
	7	Takahiro	YAMAMOTO	YAMAMOTO	12.07.1978	201	98	345	335	Panasonic Panthers
	8	Yuya	AGEBA	AGEBA	30.09.1983	191	70	350	330
	9	Takaaki	TOMIMATSU	TOMIMATSU	20.07.1984	191	84	350	330	Toray Arrows
	10	Osamu	TANABE	TANABE	10.04.1979	181	73	330	300	Toray Arrows
	11	Yoshihiko	MATSUMOTO	MATSUMOTO	07.01.1981	193	80	340	330	Sakai Blazers
	12	Kota	YAMAMURA	YAMAMURA	20.10.1980	205	95	350	335	Suntory Sunbirds
	13	Kunihiro	SHIMIZU	SHIMIZU	11.08.1986	192	99	340	320	Panasonic Panthers
C	14	Tatsuya	FUKUZAWA	FUKUZAWA	01.07.1986	189	86	355	345	Panasonic Panthers
	15	Yuji	SUZUKI	YUJI	07.06.1986	189	80	350	330	Toray Arrows
	16	Yusuke	ISHIJIMA	GOTTSU	09.01.1984	197	102	345	335	Sakai Blazers
	17	Yu	KOSHIKAWA	KOSHIKAWA	30.06.1984	189	87	340	320	Suntory Sunbirds
	18	Yuta	YONEYAMA	YONEYAMA	29.08.1984	185	85	340	320	Toray Arrows
	19	Yuhei	TSUKAZAKI	TSUKAZAKI	11.07.1986	192	74	332	315	JT Thunders
	20	Dai	TEZUKA	TEZUKA	18.11.1988	191	90	345	320	F.C. Tokyo

C=Captain L=Libero

Team profile

Team Biography
Japan (men)
2012

The Japanese team in 2012 consists of a mix of experienced players who have taken part in numerous big international competitions and a selection of young up-and-coming new players. Looking to win their ticket to the World League 2013, Japan have been training hard and vigorously preparing for the important matches of the qualification playoffs.

The Japanese men’s team had finished 13th at the World Championship in 2010, which the team considered a disappointing result. But despite the defeat, that year the team did win gold at the Asian Games in China.

It was 2008 that had been an unforgettable year for Japan. The team qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 16 years. This was a long-cherished desire that Japan had held for a long time.

Then in 2009, the team had another dramatic season in which they took the bronze medal in the World Grand Champions Cup. The team suffered two losses, but only against the top two countries in the world. The team was congratulated by millions of fans in Japan, since it was the first medal achieved at such a prestigious FIVB competition in 32 years.

The 2008 Olympics did not turn out the way the Japan team had expected. Three consecutive absences from the Olympics turned out to be a big disadvantage. Yet young players, such as Yusuke Ishijima, Yu Koshikawa, Kunihiro Shimizu and Tatsuya Fukuzawa, gained invaluable experience and confidence that they have carried forward in their careers ever since.

Coach profile

Biography

Naoki Morokuma (Japan)

In 2012, after the Japanese men’s team failed to qualify for the Olympic Games in London, Japan Volleyball Association appointed Naoki Morokuma, then coach of Japan’s senior men’s team, as interim head coach for the World League 2013 Qualifications. Since then, Morokuma has worked on assembling the best team for the future, including the qualifications.

Morokuma was born in Saga and he started playing volleyball there. He developed into an astute wing spiker. He played volleyball for high school and university teams and gained a reputation as a good player even in his school days. He joined Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza and also played for the national team.

After his retirement, he earned a lot of experience as a coach of Japan senior men’s team over four years. To win the ticket for World League 2013, Morokuma continues to work on selection and training to improve his squad. In order to qualify for World League 2013 and create a “volleyball movement” in Japan, he and his players are looking for a great achievement in the qualification matches.