Japan women's national volleyball team

The Japan women's national volleyball team (Hinotori Nippon, 火の鳥NIPPON), or All-Japan women's volleyball team, is currently ranked 6th in the world by FIVB. The head coach is Masayoshi Manabe.

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.

2012 London 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 Federation, 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.

2020 Tokyo Olympics
Japan was the host nation for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The other teams in their group in Tokyo were Kenya, Serbia, Brazil, Korea and the Dominican Republic. Japan's opening match was on 25 July 2021 in Tokyo against Kenya. They beat Kenya in their first match in straight sets and lost against Serbia, Brazil, Korea and the Dominican Republic which caused them to miss the qualification for the quarterfinals.

Winner of 6 major world titles
#, & – Twice 3 Straight Major titles in 1960s and 1970s 

(World Women's Volleyball Championship, World Cup, Olympic Games)

Olympic Games

 * 🇯🇵 1964 – Gold medal.svg Gold Medal
 * 🇲🇽 1968 – Silver medal.svg Silver Medal
 * 🇩🇪 1972 – Silver medal.svg Silver Medal
 * 🇨🇦 1976 – Gold medal.svg Gold Medal
 * 🇺🇸 1984 – Bronze medal.svg Bronze Medal
 * 🇰🇷 1988 – 4th place
 * 1992 – 5th place
 * 🇺🇸 1996 – 9th place
 * 2004 – 8th place
 * 🇨🇳 2008 – 7th place
 * 🇬🇧 2012 – Bronze medal.svg Bronze Medal
 * 🇧🇷 2016 – 8th place
 * 🇯🇵 2020 – 10th place
 * 🇫🇷 2024 – Qualified

World Championship

 * 🇧🇷 1960 – Silver medal world centered-2.svg Silver Medal
 * 1962 – Gold medal world centered-2.svg Gold Medal
 * 🇯🇵 1967 – Gold medal world centered-2.svg Gold Medal
 * 🇧🇬 1970 – Silver medal world centered-2.svg Silver Medal
 * 🇲🇽 1974 – Gold medal world centered-2.svg Gold Medal
 * 1978 – Silver medal world centered-2.svg 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 world centered-2.svg Bronze Medal
 * 🇮🇹 2014 – 7th place
 * 🇯🇵 2018 – 6th place
 * 🇵🇱 2022 – 5th place

World Cup

 * 1973 – Simple silver cup.svg Silver Medal
 * 🇯🇵 1977 – Simple gold cup.svg Gold Medal
 * 🇯🇵 1981 – Simple silver cup.svg 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 place
 * 🇯🇵 2019 – 5th place

World Grand Champions Cup

 * 🇯🇵 1993 – 4th place
 * 🇯🇵 1997 – 5th place
 * 🇯🇵 2001 – [[File:Med 3.png]] Bronze Medal
 * 🇯🇵 2005 – 5th place
 * 🇯🇵 2009 – 4th place
 * 🇯🇵 2013 – [[File:Med 3.png]] Bronze Medal
 * 🇯🇵 2017 – 5th place

FIVB 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 – [[File:Med 2.png]] Silver Medal
 * 🇺🇸 2015 – 6th place
 * 🇹🇭 2016 – 9th place
 * 🇨🇳 2017 – 7th place

FIVB Nations League

 * 🇨🇳 2018 – 10th place
 * 🇨🇳 2019 – 9th place
 * 🇮🇹 2021 – 4th place
 * 🇹🇷 2022 – 7th place
 * 🇺🇸 2023 – 7th place
 * 🇹🇭 2024 – Silver Medal

Montreux Volley Masters

 * 1989 – [[File:Med 3.png]] Bronze Medal
 * 2001 – [[File:Med 3.png]] Bronze Medal
 * 2005 – 4th place
 * 2009 – 7th place
 * 2010 – 7th place
 * 2011 – [[File:Med 1.png]] Gold Medal
 * 2013 – 5th place
 * 2014 – 6th place
 * 2015 – [[File:Med 2.png]] Silver Medal
 * 2019 – [[File:Med 2.png]] Silver Medal

Asian Games

 * 1962 – Asian Games Gold medal blank.svg Gold Medal
 * 🇹🇭 1966 – Asian Games Gold medal blank.svg Gold Medal
 * 🇹🇭 1970 – Asian Games Gold medal blank.svg Gold Medal
 * 1974 – Asian Games Gold medal blank.svg Gold Medal
 * 🇹🇭 1978 – Asian Games Gold medal blank.svg Gold Medal
 * 🇮🇳 1982 – Asian Games Silver medal blank.svg Silver Medal
 * 🇰🇷 1986 – Asian Games Silver medal blank.svg Silver Medal
 * 🇨🇳 1990 – Asian Games Bronze medal blank.svg Bronze Medal
 * 🇯🇵 1994 – Asian Games Bronze medal blank.svg Bronze Medal
 * 🇹🇭 1998 – Asian Games Bronze medal blank.svg Bronze Medal
 * 🇰🇷 2002 – Asian Games Bronze medal blank.svg Bronze Medal
 * 🇶🇦 2006 – Asian Games Silver medal blank.svg Silver Medal
 * 🇨🇳 2010 – 6th place
 * 🇰🇷 2014 – 4th place
 * 2018 – 4th place
 * 🇨🇳 2022 – Asian Games Silver medal blank.svg Silver Medal

Asian Championship

 * 🇦🇺 1975 – [[File:Med 1.png]] Gold Medal
 * 🇭🇰 1979 – [[File:Med 2.png]] Silver Medal
 * 🇯🇵 1983 – [[File:Med 1.png]] Gold Medal
 * 🇨🇳 1987 – [[File:Med 2.png]] Silver Medal
 * 🇭🇰 1989 – [[File:Med 3.png]] Bronze Medal
 * 🇹🇭 1991 – [[File:Med 2.png]] Silver Medal
 * 🇨🇳 1993 – [[File:Med 2.png]] Silver Medal
 * 🇹🇭 1995 – [[File:Med 3.png]] Bronze Medal
 * 1997 – [[File:Med 3.png]] Bronze Medal
 * 🇭🇰 1999 – [[File:Med 3.png]] Bronze Medal
 * 🇹🇭 2001 – 4th place
 * 2003 – [[File:Med 2.png]] Silver Medal
 * 🇨🇳 2005 – [[File:Med 3.png]] Bronze Medal
 * 🇹🇭 2007 – [[File:Med 1.png]] Gold Medal
 * 2009 – [[File:Med 3.png]] Bronze Medal
 * 🇹🇼 2011 – [[File:Med 2.png]] Silver Medal
 * 🇹🇭 2013 – [[File:Med 2.png]] Silver Medal
 * 🇨🇳 2015 – 6th place
 * 2017 – [[File:Med 1.png]] Gold Medal
 * 🇰🇷 2019 – [[File:Med 1.png]] Gold Medal
 * 2021 – Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
 * 🇹🇭 2023 – [[File:Med 3.png]] Bronze Medal

Asian Cup

 * 🇹🇭 2008 — 4th place
 * 🇨🇳 2010 — 4th place
 * 🇰🇿 2012 — 5th place
 * 🇨🇳 2014 — 4th place
 * 2016 — 4th place
 * 🇹🇭 2018 — [[File:Med 2.png]] Silver Medal
 * 2022 — [[File:Med 1.png]] Gold Medal

Current squad
The following is the Japan roster in the 2024 Summer Olympics

Head coach: 🇯🇵 Masayoshi Manabe

Former squads
Head coach: Tadayoshi Yokota
 * 1994 squad:


 * 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
 * Saori Kimura (c), Miyu Nagaoka, Hitomi Nakamichi, Arisa Takada, Arisa Satō, Mai Yamaguchi, Mizuho Ishida, Yuki Ishii, Risa Shinnabe, Yukiko Ebata, Saori Sakoda, Kana Ōno, Sayaka Tsutsui, and Haruka Miyashita, Head coach: Masayoshi Manabe.
 * 2016 Olympic Games — 5th place
 * Saori Kimura (c), Miyu Nagaoka, Arisa Satō, Mai Yamaguchi, Yuki Ishii, Saori Sakoda, Haruka Miyashita, Kanami Tashiro, Erika Araki, Yurie Nabeya, Haruyo Shimamura and Kotoki Zayasu, Head coach: Masayoshi Manabe.
 * 2018 World Championship — 6th Place
 * Nana Iwasaka (c), Koyomi Tominaga, Kanami Tashiro, Erika Araki, Mai Okumura, Haruyo Shimamura, Risa Shinnabe, Yuki Ishii, Sarina Koga, Ai Kurogo, Mami Uchiseto, Miyu Nagaoka, Kotoe Inoue, Mako Kobata, Head coach: Kumi Nakada.
 * 2020 Summer Olympics — 10th Place
 * Erika Araki (c), Ai Kurogo, Sarina Koga, Kanami Tashiro, Mayu Ishikawa, Haruyo Shimamura, Mako Kobata, Yuki Ishii, Mai Okumura, Aki Momii, Kotona Hayashi and Nichika Yamada, Head coach: Kumi Nakada
 * 2022 World Championship — 5th Place
 * Sarina Koga (c), Mami Uchiseto, Mayu Ishikawa, Haruyo Shimamura, Arisa Inoue, Aki Momii, Kotona Hayashi, Nichika Yamada, Satomi Fukudome, Mami Yokota, Airi Miyabe, Nanami Seki, Ameze Miyabe and Yoshino Sato, Head coach: Masayoshi Manabe.

Coaches history

 * 🇯🇵 Tadayoshi Yokota
 * 🇯🇵 Kuniaki Yoshida
 * 🇯🇵 Nobushika Kuzuwa
 * 🇯🇵 Masahiro Yoshikawa
 * 🇯🇵 Shoichi Yanagimoto (2003–2008)
 * 🇯🇵 Masayoshi Manabe (2008–2016; 2021–present)
 * 🇯🇵 Kumi Nakada (2016–2021)