Japan captain Mayu Ishikawa spikes the ball against France in a 2026 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League preliminary round match on June 3 in Quebec City, Canada. (©VOLLEYBALL WORLD)
The Japan women's national team has had a successful start at the 2026 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League.
Coach Ferhat Akbas' squad improved to 3-0 with a 25-20, 25-15, 26-24 victory over Germany on Saturday, June 7, in Quebec City, Canada.
Outside hitters Yoshino Sato and Yukiko Wada led the victors with 20 and 16 points, respectively. Japan captain Mayu Ishikawa had 14 points in the three-set sweep. Haruyo Shimamura added two blocks.
On Friday, Japan earned a 3-1 victory (25-20, 16-25, 25-15, 25-20) over Ukraine.
Against Ukraine, Ishikawa registered a team-best 22 points, including 18 kills. She added four aces in a tone-setting effort. Sato and Wada contributed 19 and 16 points, respectively.
Setter Nanami Seki finished with three service points in the win.
After the match, Ishikawa assessed her performance.
"Personally, my serve was an area I needed to work on after the last match, so I focused on that today," Ishikawa said, according to the Japanese-language website Volleyball King. "I'm glad I was able to score a lot of points with my serve."
As an on-court leader, Ishikawa is expected to be a focal point of the team's attack. And she's always striving to improve.
"While there were moments where my attacks were effective, I think I got blocked a lot, especially at the start of the second set," Ishikawa was quoted as saying by the website.
Volleyball Tactics for Ishikawa
With that in mind, Ishikawa noted that making adjustments is important.
"There were many instances where my spikes were caught by the block," Ishikawa said. "I'm working on hitting from a higher point and aiming for blockouts (hitting it off the opponent's block)."
Ishikawa also credited her teammates for providing her with vocal support during the match.
"It's not just me; I'm able to make decisions and adjust my spikes based on the calls from those around me. So that kind of support really helps me," Ishikawa was quoted as saying by Volleyball King.
Solid Start for Japan Volleyball Squad
Japan opened the tournament with a 23-25, 25-12, 25-22, 25-13 triumph over France on Wednesday, June 3.
Sato had a team-best 18 points, including two blocks. Wada added 14 points and Ishikawa registered 13. The trio combined for 41 attack points.
Teammate Ayaka Araki chipped in with a pair of blocks.
On Sunday, Japan is set to face venue host Canada.
In 2024, Japan was the tournament runner-up. A year later, the team finished fourth. Italy is the two-time reigning champion.
Italy, the United States, Serbia, the Dominican Republic and the Czech Republic are Japan's opponents in Week 2 (June 17-21) of the Volleyball Nations League's opening phase in the Philippines.
For the third week of the preliminary round (July 8-12), Osaka will be one of the host cities for matches. Turkey, Poland, the US, Thailand and Brazil will compete along with host Japan.
After the preliminary round, the 18-team Women's Volleyball National League will feature an eight-team final round in Macau. The title match is set for July 26.
A Look Ahead
The Men's Volleyball Nations League gets underway on June 10, with 18 teams vying for the eight coveted spots in the tournament's knockout phase.
Canada, Brazil and China are hosting Week 1 tournament pools, followed by France, Poland and Slovenia for the second week (June 24-28). In Week 3 (July 15-19), the action shifts to Serbia, the US and Osaka.
Japan placed sixth in the 2025 competition, following a third-place finish in 2023 and a runner-up achievement in 2024.
The final round will be held in Ningbo, China, and the championship match is penciled in for August 2.
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Basketball
Hachimura to Attend NBA Rising Stars Invitational in Singapore
NBA free-agent forward Rui Hachimura will participate in a variety of activities at the upcoming NBA Rising Stars Invitational in Singapore.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Mitch Richmond, retired Taiwanese American guard Jeremy Lin and former WNBA superstar Lauren Jackson will join Hachiｍura in representing the pro basketball community at the high school tournament. The second annual event, to be held June 23-28, will showcase top boys and girls squads from the Asia-Pacific region.
In Tokyo, the NBA Rising Stars Invitational Japan qualifiers were held on March 30 and 31.
As the Japan champion, Fukuoka's Seika Senior High School girls squad advanced to the 12-team Asia-Pacific event in Singapore.
In the boys competition, Tottori Johoku High School triumphed in the Japan final to punch its ticket to Singapore, where a dozen squads will vie for the regional title.
Hachimura and his fellow luminaries are scheduled to participate in meet-and-greet sessions with fans in Singapore. They'll also interact with the tournament participants, according to a news release.
"I am honored to participate in the second NBA Rising Stars Invitational and watch the outstanding high school teams representing this region play," Hachimura said in a statement. "Having played high school basketball in Japan myself, I understand just how significant opportunities like this are in the early stages of a player's career."
Hachimura added, "I am very much looking forward to taking part in this program, which serves to inspire the next generation of players in the Asia-Pacific region."
'A Wonderful Stage for Promising Young Players'
Richmond, who retired after the 2001-02 NBA season, called the NBA Rising Stars Invitational "an event that demonstrates just how global the sport of basketball has become."
The legendary shooting guard added, "This tournament serves as a wonderful stage for promising young players from the Asia-Pacific region to showcase their talents. I look forward to interacting with the participants in Singapore and supporting their continued growth."
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Brex Hire Italian Bench Boss De Raffaele
The Utsunomiya Brex have hired Walter De Raffaele to fill the team's head coaching vacancy, it was annouced on Friday, June 5.
De Raffaele replaces Zico Coronel, who left the squad after the Brex's elimination from the B.League playoffs in May.
Utsunomiya had the best record in the B.League's Eastern Conference in 2025-26, then lost in the playoff quarterfinals.
The Brex won the league title in the previous season, with Coronel taking over as head coach near the midway point of the season. Coronel was appointed to oversee the team on an emergency basis in January 2025, when head coach Kevin Braswell was hospitalized after having a heart attack. Following heart surgery, Braswell died several weeks later, and Coronel maintained his new leadership post.
De Raffaele, 57, has coached several pro teams in Italy during the 21st century. Most recently, he guided Derthona Basket during the 2024-25 campaign.
Before that, De Raffaele had a long run as the Reyer Venezia sideline supervisor (2016-23). He guided the club to a pair of Italian League titles in the 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons. With De Raffaele calling the shots, Reyer Venezia also claimed the FIBA Europe Cup crown in 2018.
"I am thrilled to take on this new challenge in Japan, [and] I promise to do my very best to contribute to the club's continued growth and success," he said in a statement.
The new Brex coach added, "I am already looking forward to meeting all of our wonderful fans. [And] I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone at the club for giving me this opportunity."
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Baseball
Ohtani Excels in Dual Roles
On Wednesday, June 3, Shohei Ohtani had a performance that could best be described as a quintessential Shohei Ohtani performance.
The Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher tossed six scoreless innings, holding the Arizona Diamondbacks to two hits. He struck out six and walked one. Ohtani (6-2) leads MLB starters with a 0.74 ERA.
Batting leadoff, Ohtani reached base five times and scored a run in LA's 7-0 win in Phoenix. He went 3-for-4 and walked twice.
"I felt hot on the mound overall, [and] I was on the bases a lot, I walked a lot," Ohtani told reporters, according to MLB.com. "But for me, it does help to have more runs, helps on the pitching side, so I was happy with that."
For the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers, who sit atop the National League West with a 42-23 record through June 6, Justin Wrobleski (7-2, 2.62 ERA) leads the pitching staff in wins, while Ohtani is second. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5-4, 2.86 ERA) is third. Roki Sasaki (3-3, 4.03) is tied for fourth.
Hawks' Kurihara Leads NPB in Homers
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks infielder Ryoya Kurihara is No 1 among NPB players in home runs (17) through Saturday, June 6.
Kurihara has appeared in 56 games this season, and he's well on pace to shatter his career-best total of 21 homers in 2021. He also belted 20 round-trippers in '24.
The 29-year-old has played his entire career with the Hawks, starting in 2017.
In 2025, Kurihara was limited to 80 games. He finished with eight homers.
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Tennis
Nishikori to Conclude Career at Japan Open
Kei Nishikori will wrap up his pro tennis career at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open, which will be held in Tokyo from September 30 to October 6.
Tournament organizers made an announcement on Monday, June 1.
Now 36, the Shimane Prefecture native has been plagued by injuries in recent years.
Nishikori climbed to No 4 in the world rankings in 2015. A year earlier, he was the US Open runner-up, his best finish in a Grand Slam singles competition.
A 12-time winner on the ATP Tour, Nishikori began his pro career in 2007. He also achieved the highest-ever world ranking for a Japanese men's player.
"For him to get to No 4 in the world on two different occasions is not easy," Michael Chang, his former coach, said, according to The Associated Press. "I tell him he's got nothing but to feel great about what he's accomplished in tennis."
Chang added, "He's approaching a different stage in his life and maybe he doesn't agree with me but I think he's going to have more important and more exciting things with his young family. He's had a great career and hopefully he finishes out well and Tokyo gives him a good send-off because I think he deserves it."
Currently ranked 703rd in the world, Nishikori has earned $26 million USD (nearly ¥4.2 billion JPY) in his pro career as a singles and doubles player.
Sumo
French Capital to Host 1st Tourney Since 1995
The Paris Sumo Tournament will be held at Accor Arena on Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14.
It will be the first sumo tournament in the French capital since 1995, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Another tourney was held in Paris in 1986.
In January 2025, the Japan Sumo Association announced that Paris would be the site of a sumo tournament in June 2026.
"It's important for us to show our sport to the world," JSA chairman Hakkaku was quoted as saying by AFP during the 2025 New Year Basho. "And for the wrestlers, they're the best in the world, they should be proud of that and see that they're admired all over the world."
In October 2025, the JSA staged the London Grand Sumo Tournament, a five-day spectacle. It was the JSA's first tour in London since 1991.
Looking ahead to the Paris event, Hakkaku shared insights from his experience as a wrestler at the 1986 event in France.
"We feel renewed joy and great responsibility as we prepare for our third performance in Paris in 2026," he said in January 2025, AFP reported. "[And] we are committed to fully sharing the charm of sumo with the French people."
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Quotes of the Week
"We need to continue working on both our physical condition and our tactical preparation and make the most of the time we have left before the tournament begins."
—Japan men's soccer team manager Hajime Moriyasu, on getting ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Samurai Blue played their final pre-tourney tuneup match on May 31 against Iceland, winning 1-0 in Tokyo. Japan opens its World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on June 14 (5 AM JST on June 15).
"I'm making small adjustments all the time. I think that because of that, everything's kind of put together. When I do that, I find a good rhythm out there. That kind of keeps me going."
—Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki, on the ongoing progress he's making as an MLB pitcher. The 24-year-old, in his second season with the Dodgers, threw seven innings of no-run ball, allowing two hits and striking out an MLB career-high 10 batters on June 5 against the Los Angeles Angels.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
